The science behind effectiveness

Perovskite and silicon have complementary light-absorbing properties, making them an ideal combination for photovoltaic cells. While silicon perfectly absorbs light from the red and infrared parts of the spectrum, perovskite materials are very effective at capturing light from the blue and green regions.

This synergy allows tandem photovoltaics to utilize a broader spectrum of sunlight, increasing overall efficiency.

JinkoSolar’s breakthrough was achieved through the integration of various advanced technologies.

• The company applied ultra-thin polysilicon passive contact technology, a new light absorption method, and a recombination interlayer with high light transmittance and carrier mobility.
• Additionally, the cells feature an effective surface passivation technology using hybrid materials. Together these innovations contribute to a record efficiency of 33.34%.

opening potential

The new efficiency indicator has been verified by independent scientists. This achievement surpasses JinkoSolar’s previous record of 32.33% for similar PV cells, demonstrating rapid progress in this field.

Despite this significant progress, there is still much room for improvement. German scientists estimate that the practical conversion efficiency of perovskite tandem cells could potentially reach 39.5%.

Achieving this goal will require significant changes in cell architecture, such as replacing buckminsterfullerene with a more transparent electron transport layer and finding an alternative to indium tin oxide layers.

While JinkoSolar’s achievement is remarkable, this is not the highest efficiency recorded for perovskite tandem PV cells. This title is currently held by Chinese manufacturer Longi, which achieved 33.9% efficiency in November 2023.

Additionally, researchers from KAUST University in Saudi Arabia reported the development of a perovskite-silicon tandem device with 33.7% efficiency in early 2023.