- KAUST researchers have announced achieving 33.2% power conversion efficiency for monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells
- They claim these are now the most efficient 2-junction solar cell technology under standard illumination conditions
- Team had been working on improving the efficiency for last 7 years; it has now entered NREL chart
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has achieved 33.2% ‘certified’ power conversion efficiency for its monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, with Professor Stefaan De Wolf claiming these are now the most efficient 2-junction solar cell technology under standard illumination conditions, ‘even better than III-Vs’.
While an official statement with details is awaited from the university, KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory (KPV Lab) tweeted that the team has been able to push the efficiency closer to its theoretical limit.
The efficiency is now listed on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) best research-cell efficiencies chart.
A KAUST researcher for ultra-efficient photovoltaics, Erkan Aydin tweeted to share that the team had been working to improve the record efficiency for about 7 years.
“This was also the most efficient two-joint tandem solar cell known at the time. In the PV market, which will reach a size of $250 billion in 2030, this technology will gain an important place with its price advantage. There will be more exciting developments in this competitive field. Stay tuned,” wrote Aydin.
KAUST’s 33.2% beats Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) Germany’s 32.5% efficiency level, according to the NREL chart. HZB broke the record only in Dec. 2022 (see HZB Reports 32.5% Efficiency For Tandem Solar Cells).
