“Photovoltaics is far from being ‘fully researched,’” said Prof. Dr. Stefan Glunz, Head of the Photovoltaics Division at Fraunhofer ISE, at the opening. “On the contrary, there is still a great deal to be gained here, and tandem solar cells are the key to achieving even greater efficiency. This means more solar energy in a smaller area and with less material usage.”

The new Pero-Si-SCALE builds on developments from the laboratory (Technology Readiness Level TRL1–TRL4) and transfers the innovative cell designs to industrial cell formats—up to a wafer size of 210 by 210 millimeters—using scalable, high-throughput manufacturing processes. In addition to the development of perovskite-silicon solar cells and modules, as well as technologies for their manufacturing, the Pero-Si-SCALE also offers a comprehensive characterization and analysis environment. 

“The new laboratory infrastructure builds on 20 years of experience in industry-oriented development of silicon photovoltaics at the Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center (PV-TEC),” explained Priv.-Doz. Dr. Ralf Preu, Head of the Photovoltaics Division at Fraunhofer ISE. “The PV-TEC also ensures the supply of optimized silicon bottom cells to the Pero-Si-SCALE, as well as a close connection to current production processes.”

Fraunhofer ISE focuses on the so-called “hybrid route”—a combination of vacuum and wet chemical processes—for the manufacturing process of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. Using this technology, the institute has already achieved peak efficiencies of over 33 percent on a laboratory scale. This process has the advantage that “standard,” textured silicon solar cells from the industry can still be used. This allows for direct integration with today’s solar cell standards and achieves a higher energy yield from the tandem modules. The successful combination of a wide variety of thin-film deposition technologies with wafer-based silicon technology is the challenge for efficient industrial implementation.

“The new laboratory infrastructure builds on 20 years of experience in industry-oriented development of silicon photovoltaics at the Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center (PV-TEC),” explained Priv.-Doz. Dr. Ralf Preu, Head of the Photovoltaics Division at Fraunhofer ISE. “The PV-TEC also ensures the supply of optimized silicon bottom cells to the Pero-Si-SCALE, as well as a close connection to current production processes.”

Fraunhofer ISE focuses on the so-called “hybrid route”—a combination of vacuum and wet chemical processes—for the manufacturing process of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. Using this technology, the institute has already achieved peak efficiencies of over 33 percent on a laboratory scale. This process has the advantage that “standard,” textured silicon solar cells from the industry can still be used. This allows for direct integration with today’s solar cell standards and achieves a higher energy yield from the tandem modules. The successful combination of a wide variety of thin-film deposition technologies with wafer-based silicon technology is the challenge for efficient industrial implementation.