Imec achieves 23.9% conversion efficiency for perovskite/silicon photovoltaic module

Imec has achieved 23.9% conversion efficency for a 4cm2 perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic module – making it the first module-on-cell stack that outperforms the standalone silicon solar cell.

Perovskite solar cells have many desirable properties, as they can achieve a high power conversion efficiency, are inexpensive to produce, and have a high absorption efficiency in sunlight.

The material can be engineered to result in various optical and electronic properties.

Additionally, perovskite solar cells or modules may also be used to boost standard silicon (Si) solar technology when engineered to absorb a spectral range that is complementary to the optical range of silicon cells.

By stacking the perovskite solar cells or modules on top of Si solar cells, power conversion efficiencies above 30 percent can potentially be achieved, thereby surpassing the efficiencies of the best single junction Si solar cells.
In 2016, Imec presented for the first time a semi-transparent perovskite module stacked on top of an interdigitated back-contact (IBC) crystalline silicon solar cell in a four-terminal tandem configuration, thereby achieving an overall power conversion efficiency of 20.2% on an aperture area of sq cms.

Imec now reports a significant improvement of this technology resulting in a record high power conversion efficiency of 23.9 percent for the module-on-cell stack of this size.

The perovskite/silicon four-terminal tandem was realized with matched aperture areas as large as 4cm² for the perovskite module and the Si solar cell.