Perovskite silicon tandem solar cells could be the next viable step in the evolution of mass adoption of solar technology. 2023 is reportedly the year when we will see several pilot manufacturing plants burst into life in China and Europe.

Can we say that the next generation of PV cells has reached a critical point for mass production and application?

This is the inspiration for our latest Fluxim’s Science Shorts video: Perovskite Silicon Tandem Solar Cells and How to Simulate Them.

Watch Dr. Antonio Cabas Vidani explore the advantages of multijunction solar cells, how they work, and why perovskite-silicon tandem cells are a game-changer for solar energy.

You will also learn how the advanced optics module in Setfos can:

• Compute the reflection and transmission of coherent thin-film components

• Use a ray-optical approach to evaluate the (angular) scattering properties of the textured interfaces

• Deploy a net-radiation algorithm that uses this information to quantify the light propagation in the entire layer stack.

Watch it all here 👇

Of course, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the paper on which we based our latest Science Shorts. We would like to extend our thanks to our colleague, Dr. Urs Aeberhard, for his paper:

Analysis and optimization of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells by full opto-electronic simulation

U. Aeberhard, R. Häusermann, A. Schiller, B. Blülle and B. Ruhstaller, 10.1109/NUSOD49422.2020.9217773.

About this paper: We present a comprehensive opto-electronic simulation framework for the computational analysis and optimization of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells, consisting of a combination of a multiscale optical model for the simultaneous consideration of interference in thin coatings and scattering at textured interfaces with a mixed electronic-ionic drift-diffusion transport model that captures the peculiarities of the geometries and materials used in the tandem architecture.

You can also read our blog post based on the same paper here. https://www.fluxim.com/perovskite-silicon-tandem-solar-cell-simulation

Tandem Solar Cell Papers Enabled by Setfos

Impact of mixed perovskite composition-based silicon tandem PV devices on Efficiency limits and global Performance

Ahmer A.B. Baloch, Omar Albadwawi, Badreyya AlShehhi, Vivian Alberts,

Energy Reports, Volume 8, Supplement 16, 2022, ISSN 2352-4847,

Read the #openaccess paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2022.10.215

What is the worldwide performance of silicon/perovskite solar cells compared to the respective single junctions?

That is the question that the group of Vivian Alberts from the Research and Development Center of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority answered by simulating the energy yield and cell temperature depending on the geographical location.

Considering a perovskite solar cell with a bandgap of 1.7eV, tandem cells generate on average 26.7% more energy than silicon solar cells, while dissipating less heat thanks to the higher electrical efficiency. The optimal latitude for tandem performance is in the 45◦N to 45◦S range.

With the simulation software Setfos they could estimate the theoretical efficiency limit of the tandem device under standard testing conditions (STC) using detailed balance analysis.

Perovskite–organic tandem solar cells with indium oxide interconnect.

Brinkmann, K.O., Becker, T., Zimmermann, F. et al.

Nature 604, 280–286 (2022).

doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04455-0

In this Nature paper, the research team reached a new outstanding certified efficiency record of 23.1% with a two-terminal perovskite/organic solar cell.

Thanks to an ALD-deposited InOx interconnection layer, the current between the two subcells is matched at 14.1 mA/cm2. The high Voc of 2.15 V indicates an almost ideal interconnection between the two subcells. These devices use an organic absorber for the narrow-gap subcell, which doesn’t need the high-temperature processing of silicon and is more stable than the commonly used narrow-bandgap perovskites based on Sn.

With the software Setfos, they performed optical simulations to identify the wide bandgap perovskite that gives current matching with the organic subcell.

Get Ready for E-MRS 2023 Strasbourg

E-MRS in Strasbourg, France, will take place from May 29th to June 2nd, 2023, with Fluxim sponsoring a booth. This leading European materials research event features diverse symposia, invited speakers, presentations, and an exhibition of relevant products and services. Topics include energy materials, nanomaterials, biomaterials, electronics, functional materials, and education and training, organized into 21 symposia and 6 clusters.

Fluxim’s Antonio Cabas Vidani and Moon Kang Heo will be present at Booth 55. If you are going to EMRS and would like to discuss how simulation and device characterization can boost your R&D. You can arrange an appointment here or simply call in at the booth. They will be demonstrating the latest versions of Setfos and Laoss and will also have the PV and OLED characterization tool Paios set up for you to investigate.

And if that’s not enough for you on tandem solar cells then Antonio will also be giving a presentation on:

Ageing and characterization of high-bandgap perovskites for all thin-film tandem solar cell devices.

Tandem Solar Cell Research Project

To finish this month’s newsletter on Tandem Solar Cells we’d like to highlight a very exciting R&D Project we are collaborating on.

SuPerTandem is a 3-year project financed with the sources from Horizon Europe research aid program and SERI, the Swiss state secretariat for education, research, and innovation, and is designed to help accelerate the European transition to clean energy by developing a scalable, low CO2 footprint photovoltaic technology for highly-efficient (>30%) two-terminal tandem cells and modules based on complementary metal-halide perovskite absorbers.

SuPerTandem uses and develops sustainable and earth-abundant perovskite absorber materials, ancillary materials, and scalable large-area manufacturing processes to create a novel low-cost environmental friendly photovoltaic (PV) technology at an affordable 20 Euro per square meter.

Fluxim is part of a 15-strong consortium of leading European labs, industrial equipment makers, and flexible PV module-producing companies – namely represented by: TNO – Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, HZB Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Fraunhofer ISE, Saule Technologies and Saule Research Institute, TuE – Eindhoven University of Technology, CEA – Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, 3D Micromac, FOM Technologies, SALD – Spatial Ald Innovators, Tecnalia, Amires, EMPA, Flisom, and Fluxim.

SuPerTandem began in Oct 2022 and is set to complete in September 2025. We would like to acknowledge our partner’s contribution so far and we look forward to working with them over the coming years.

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