Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells demonstrate significantly higher efficiency compared to traditional silicon panels, primarily due to their multi-junction design that better utilizes the solar spectrum. Here’s a detailed comparison:
Efficiency Breakdown
- Traditional silicon panels:
- Typical commercial efficiency: ~20-22%
- Record efficiency (single-junction): 26.8% (heterojunction cells, as claimed by Longi)
- Perovskite-silicon tandem cells:
- Certified record: 34.6% (Longi, June 2024), surpassing earlier milestones like 32.5% (2022) and 33.9% (2023).
- Recent research: Multiple studies report >30% efficiency using textured silicon and defect-passivated perovskite layers.
Key Advantages of Tandem Cells
- Bandgap synergy:
- Silicon (1.12 eV) efficiently converts near-infrared light, while perovskite (tuned to ~1.65-1.75 eV) captures visible light.
- This dual absorption reduces thermalization losses, pushing efficiencies beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit (~33.7% for single junctions).
- Technological innovations:
- Light management: Nano-texturing between sub-cells reduces reflection and improves perovskite deposition quality.
- Defect passivation: Advanced interfacial materials minimize recombination losses.
Challenges and Progress
- Deposition hurdles: Spin-coating perovskite on textured silicon risks uneven layers, but conformal deposition techniques now enable >30% efficiency on industrial-grade textured silicon.
- Scalability: Longi’s record uses commercial Czochralski silicon substrates, indicating compatibility with existing manufacturing infrastructure.
Outlook
Tandem cells are projected to reach ~43% efficiency theoretically, with current records already demonstrating a ~10-15% absolute gain over standard silicon panels. Ongoing advances in perovskite stability and scalable fabrication methods position them as the next-generation photovoltaic technology.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-does-the-efficiency-of-perovskite-silicon-tandem-solar-cells-compare-to-traditional-silicon-solar-panels/
