Panasonic has achieved the world’s highest energy conversion efficiency of 16.09% for a perovskite solar module (aperture area 802 cm2: 30-cm x 30-cm x 2-mm thick) by developing lightweight technology using a glass substrate and a large-area coating method based on inkjet printing. This was carried out as part of the project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), which is working on the “Development of Technologies to Reduce Power Generation Costs for High-Performance and High-Reliability Photovoltaic Power Generation” to promote the widespread adoption of solar power generation.
This inkjet-based coating method that can cover a large area reduces manufacturing costs of modules. In addition, this large-area, lightweight, and high-conversion efficiency module allows for generating solar power highly efficiently at locations where conventional solar panels were difficult to install, such as façades.
Going forward, NEDO and Panasonic continue to improve perovskite layer materials, aiming to achieve high efficiency comparable to that of crystalline silicon solar cells and establish technologies for practical application in new markets.
By focusing on the inkjet coating method that enables the raw material to be coated precisely and uniformly, Panasonic applied that technology to each layer of the solar cell including perovskite layer on glass substrate and realized high power conversion efficiency for a large-area module.
News item from Panasonic
“In addition, this large-area, lightweight, and high-conversion efficiency module allows for generating solar power highly efficiently at locations where conventional solar panels were difficult to install, such as façades.”
Just wondering, could Panasonic ‘print’ this perovskite onto its existing HIP cell line and create a tandem cell with efficiencies in the 30% plus energy harvest? IF Panasonic could keep the roughly 20% efficiency of their HIT cells and add the actual 16% efficiency of this perovskite product to one panel, 36% efficiency would be another disruptive jump in solar PV panel adoption world wide.