Up-scaled perovskite PV modules tout 10% conversion efficiency

Solliance has unveiled its up-scaled thin-film perovskite photovoltaic modules that boast a record 10% aperture area power conversion efficiency. The efficiency was measured on an aperture area of 168cm². Twenty-five cells were serial connected through an optimised P1, P2, P3 interconnection technology.

The PV module was realised on a 15.24cm x 15.24cm glass substrate using industrial scale-able slot die coating in combination with laser patterning. Further, the PV module was packaged by applying a flexible barrier using a lamination process.

This result could be realised due to the intensive collaboration within Solliance. Based on previous optimisation on 16cm² modules, the Solliance team was able to quickly transfer this to the glass substrate using the developed blade coating process and the optimised mechanical patterning technology. In this case a 156cm² aperture area module with 10% efficiency was realised comprising of twenty-four interconnected cells.

Figure 1: Solliance developed the PV module realised on a 15.24cm x 15.24cm glass substrate using industrial scale-able slot die coating in combination with laser patterning.

These results demonstrate the up-scalability of this new thin film PV technology. Apart from the electrodes currently used, all layers can be processed in ambient environment and at temperatures below 120°C. This shows the low production cost potential of this emerging thin film PV technology. Further, the deposition and interconnection technologies used for obtaining these results are industrially available for sheet-to-sheet as well as for roll-to-roll manufacturing. The latter allows for creating high volume production in the future.

The current world record efficiency of a small lab scale perovskite based PV cell is 22.1%. "The challenge is to upscale perovskite cells to larger size industrially process-able modules with high efficiency and long lifetimes at low cost. The current result, presented on an aperture area comparable to standard commercial silicon solar cells, shows that Solliance, with its in depth know how on processing of organic PV and CIGS and its vast sheet-to-sheet and roll-to-roll pilot production infrastructure, is excellently placed to realise this upscaling. These 10% up-scaled perovskite based PV modules are first and important steps in this development. We are confident to boost quickly the up-scaled perovskite-based PV module efficiency further above 15% by using very low cost materials and processes. But besides demonstrating the up-scalability of these highly efficient perovskite based PV devices, we are also currently working hard to stabilise further the performance of these devices under real life operational conditions," explained Ronn Andriessen, programme manager of the perovskite-based PV programme at Solliance.

Solliance is conducting advanced research on the development of perovskite based PV modules and its applications with its industrial partners Nano-C, Solartek, DyeSol and Panasonic. With this result the Solliance R&D partners and their industrial partners demonstrate the strength of their research framework for the development of industrial perovskite-based PV modules.