Key Findings
A team of Chinese researchers has developed a four-terminal perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cell, leveraging sulfide-based coordination engineering, that achieves an impressive overall power conversion efficiency of 29.71%. The breakthrough lies not only in the high efficiency but also in significantly improving the stability of wide-bandgap perovskites, which has been a persistent challenge. The developed device demonstrated remarkable durability, maintaining over 91% of its initial efficiency after 2000 hours of continuous operation, signaling a crucial advancement in the long-term reliability of perovskite tandem technology.
Technical and Testing Details
Tandem solar cells combine multiple absorbing layers with different bandgaps to more broadly utilize the solar spectrum, achieving higher efficiencies than single-junction cells. This research employed a four-terminal configuration with a wide-bandgap perovskite top cell and a copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) bottom cell. The key technological innovation is the introduction of sulfide-based coordination engineering. This effectively suppressed primary degradation mechanisms in perovskite solar cells, including defect formation, halide ion migration, and photo-induced phase segregation. In long-term stability tests, the device was operated continuously for 2000 hours, after which its performance was evaluated, demonstrating exceptional durability by retaining over 91% of its initial power conversion efficiency. This serves as a critical metric for practical application.
Background and Industry Context
Perovskite solar cells have garnered significant attention as a next-generation photovoltaic technology due to their high efficiency potential and low-cost manufacturing. However, long-term stability has been a major barrier to commercialization. Wide-bandgap perovskites, in particular, are crucial for tandem applications due to their high open-circuit voltage potential, but they have been more challenging to stabilize. This breakthrough advances perovskite technology significantly in both stability and efficiency, and by combining it with established thin-film technologies like CIGS, it could introduce new competitiveness into the existing solar cell market.
Strategic Significance and Outlook
The combination of 29.71% high efficiency and excellent stability of over 91% after 2000 hours represents a major stride towards the commercialization of perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells. If this technology can be scaled for mass production, its ability to deliver more power from a limited installation area could lead to widespread adoption in various applications, including ground-mounted power plants, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and flexible devices. With further long-term field testing and cost optimization, this sulfide-based tandem technology holds the potential to play a leading role in the global solar power market.
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