Oxford PV - new record 30% efficiency

[huck999]

Oxford PV solar cells

A new record of just under 30% for a photo cell, using Perevskite.

Oxford PV say they are on track to hit 40% in a few years, and no silicon!

 

[Guigsy]

The issue with perevskites is they're fragile. Many of the current designs have lost a significant amount of efficiency in the first year of real world use.

Promising '5 year' technology.

 

[autorouter]

That link is to an older report, on a 'research-sized' cell, which had an efficiency of 29.5%. The latest breakthrough is a commercial-sized cell that's very nearly up to that efficiency, 28.6%

Oxford PV sets new solar cell world record | Oxford PV

24 May 2023 – Oxford PV, a pioneer in the field of next-generation solar cells, has set a new world record for the efficiency of a commercial-sized solar cell, marking a significant breakthrough in the drive towards a low-carbon global economy.

www.oxfordpv.com

It's a silicon solar cell, with an additional thin film of perevskite on top. The thin film captures and utilises part of the solar spectrum that the silicon doesn't use, while letting the rest of the light through for the silicon to capture as before. It's not an expensive process, so can feasibly be added to the production process economically.

 

[Raul]

I will believe it when I see it on the open market. Solar cells have reached over 22% efficiency many years ago. Unfortunately at module level, efficiency decreases to about 20% efficiency. And there is a physical limit on earth, of how much can we push, even with perovskites.

Shockley-Queisser solar efficiency Limits

Shockley-Queisser efficiency Limit of silicon and other materials used in Solar Panels.

www.universitywafer.com

 

[Raul]

The issue with perevskites is they're fragile. Many of the current designs have lost a significant amount of efficiency in the first year of real world use.

Promising '5 year' technology.

Indeed, they still haven’t sorted the LID light induced degradation, it’s of the cliff within a year.

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[Raul]

That link is to an older report, on a 'research-sized' cell, which had an efficiency of 29.5%. The latest breakthrough is a commercial-sized cell that's very nearly up to that efficiency, 28.6%

Oxford PV sets new solar cell world record | Oxford PV

24 May 2023 – Oxford PV, a pioneer in the field of next-generation solar cells, has set a new world record for the efficiency of a commercial-sized solar cell, marking a significant breakthrough in the drive towards a low-carbon global economy.

www.oxfordpv.com

It's a silicon solar cell, with an additional thin film of perevskite on top. The thin film captures and utilises part of the solar spectrum that the silicon doesn't use, while letting the rest of the light through for the silicon to capture as before. It's not an expensive process, so can feasibly be added to the production process economically.

Precisely what’s been done few years ago by Sanyo, sharp, then Panasonic. Multilayer wafer with heterojunction. The good old panasonic HIT, with 3layers of silica and 2 layers of amorphous. Works so well that captures a larger spectrum. Unfortunately, not economical to produce anymore.