Fraunhofer ISE has set up a testing apparatus for perovskite solar PV cells and modules, aiming to establish a reliable efficiency standard for the technology.
Perovskite-tandem cells, which pair silicon and perovskite layers, have shown the potential to offer vastly improved efficiencies in lab conditions, as manufacturers and research institutes the world over have been looking at ways to effectively scale the new technology.
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Fraunhofer will lead a consortium including Oxford PV and Wavelabs Solar Metrology Systems to “provide highly precise and reproducible measurements for this emerging technology as soon as possible so that there can be objective competition,” according to Prof. Dr. Stefan Glunz, division director for PV technologies at Fraunhofer ISE.
Dubbed the ‘Katana’ project, the consortium is backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate. A solar simulator has been constructed at Fraunhofer’s photovoltaic calibration laboratory (CalLab) to measure the efficiencies perovskite-tandem cells from 5mmx5mm up to modules of 2.4mx1.3m.
Perovskites can absorb different portions of the light spectrum than silicon, and the simulator will cover a wide range of wavelengths ranging from 320 to 1650 nanometres organised over 40 different light sources. The programme has the potential to formalise perovskite evaluation and bring more focus to what has been dubbed the ‘future’ of PV cell technology.
Falko Griehl, project manager for the SINUS-3000 Advanced solar simulator at Wavelabs said: “The new solar simulator is a milestone towards a standardised calibration procedure for perovskite-silicon tandem modules. During its construction, we had to ensure that the LED illumination homogeneously irradiates the modules over the entire surface and that their light spectra can be adjusted so that all cell layers are realistically activated.
“With this technology, beyond the standard spectra, we can also simulate light at arbitrary times of day and regions, which allows this influence on tandem modules to be analysed.”
New record efficiencies for perovskite-tandem cells are being hit fairly frequently. The most recent for a commercial-size cell was posted by Oxford PV last week (28.6%), and the highest current record for a test-size cell is held by a Saudi Arabian university (33.2%). Prior to this, Helmhotz-Zentrum Berlin had reclaimed the record with 32.5% efficiency.
Efforts are gathering to bring perovskites to commercial scale. Qcells announced a US$100 million investment into a pilot production line in South Korea last month, and last week Italian PV manufacturer FuturaSun announced the purchase of a University of Rome perovskite research startup, with a view to developing commercially viable perovskite products.