Qcells has set a tandem solar cell efficiency world record on a full-area M10-sized cell that can be scaled for mass production.
The South Korean company reached 28.6% efficiency on a 330.56-square-cm cell produced on its pilot line in Germany.
The solar cell uses perovskite technology for the top cell and proprietary Q.ANTUM technology for the bottom cell. Qcells said this tandem structure boosts performance by letting the top cell capture high-energy light more efficiently while the bottom cell captures transmitted low-energy light.
“This improves the power per area and therefore less modules are needed to achieve the same solar system power output,” the company said in a statement. “This breakthrough has the potential to further reduce the cost of solar energy and the land footprint needed for solar projects making solar even more affordable, accessible and sustainable.”
The CalLab at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has independently verified the record result.
Danielle Merfeld, Qcells Global CTO, said the tandem cell “will accelerate the commercialization process of this technology and ultimately deliver a great leap forward in photovoltaic performance.”
