A group of researchers from the University of Wuppertal, Germany have announced 24% power conversion efficiency for perovskite and organic tandem solar cells, claiming it to be a new world record for this kind of tandem.
To achieve this level, the team used an ultra-thin layer—1.5 nm thick—of indium oxide for the coupling of the tandem cells, using atomic later deposition coating technique. One of the researchers, Tim Becker said the key to success lies in interconnection of the 2 solar cells where they figured that the thinner the interconnect, the better it is.
On using organic materials and novel perovskite semiconductors, instead of silicon, Prof. Dr. Thomas Riedl, Head of the Chair for Electronic Components at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and Director of the Wuppertal Center for Smart Materials & Systems, explained, "Both technologies have experienced rapid development in recent years and their efficiencies can now keep up with silicon. At the same time, the significantly lower material and energy requirements during production make these technologies appear very promising from the point of view of sustainability."
The team now is confident of achieving more than 30% efficiency level for tandem cells basis their simulations for the technology, something that has so far been possible only for space applications. "For space applications, efficiency and low weight are the top priorities – costs only play a subordinate role. Our work contributes to the fact that solar cells with similarly high efficiencies, but at a fraction of the cost, will also be available for applications on earth in the future," added Prof. Riedl.
The research work is published in Nature journal with the title Perovskite-organic tandem solar cells with indium oxide interconnect.
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