Europe will profit from a brand new analysis and innovation (R&I) venture supposed to advance the continent’s tandem photo voltaic PV cell manufacturing and manufacturing capabilities, specializing in tandem silicon-perovskite cells.
Entitled PEPPERONI, the venture will run for 4 years and is co-funded by the EU underneath Horizon Europe – its long-term funding programme for R&I – and the Swiss Secretariat for Schooling, Analysis and Innovation. Coordinated by local weather analysis institute Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and photo voltaic producer Qcells, the PEPPERONI venture started on 1 November.
Qcells stated {that a} pilot line for tandem manufacturing might be established at its European headquarters in Thalheim, Germany, aiming finally at industrial manufacturing of perovskite-silicon tandem cells. Over the four-year lifespan of the venture, funding will complete round €14.5 million (US$15 million).
The corporate additionally stated that PEPPERONI is meant to speed up Europe’s 2050 internet zero targets. The proposed enhance in energy conversion effectivity supplied by tandem cells exceeds the sensible potentialities of silicon-only cells, permitting for a long-term decrease levelised value of vitality and short-term deployability in areas the place house is proscribed, akin to on rooftops.
Fabian Fertig, director international R&D wafer and cells at Qcells, stated: “Qcells is proud to be a part of the PEPPERONI consortium with its world-class know-how companions.
“This analysis guarantees to interrupt new floor within the development of perovskite-silicon tandem photo voltaic cell and module know-how. At a time of unprecedented pressures on the present vitality system, it’s thrilling to grasp this primary and transformative step in the direction of industrial-scale manufacturing of next-generation PV know-how in Europe.”
The companions in PEPPERONI cite the well-established {industry} experience and falling prices of silicon PV manufacturing as the idea for its objectives to increase manufacturing of tandem cells. It goals to scale up the helpful space of perovskite-silicon tandem cells to industry-relevant measurement from the 1cm2 squared of present document units.
Final month, Dutch researchers revealed a perovskite-silicon cell with 30% effectivity.
The PEPPERONI consortium stated that imposing a perovskite high cell on a silicon backside cell – made utilizing Qcell’s gigawatt-scale Q.ANTUM silicon manufacturing know-how – with “only some further course of steps” will permit for an economical manufacturing growth.
Bernd Stannowski, head of group {industry} appropriate processes, photo voltaic cells and modules at HZB added: “At HZB we have now developed the tandem know-how to world-record effectivity stage on lab scale. We are actually wanting ahead to cooperate within the PEPPERONI consortium with companions from science and {industry} to collectively scale this new and really promising know-how up and switch it to {industry}.”
Perovskite tandem cells are but to be produced at scale. Lately a partnership between Voltec Photo voltaic and the French analysis facility IPVF proposed a perovskite/silicon ‘gigafactory’ with 5GW of scale by 2030. They didn’t verify the tactic by which this scale can be reached.
