Recently, India has made a significant breakthrough in the field of solar technology as the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay, or IITB) announced the successful development of a laboratory-scale silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 30%.
This research and development project is the result of collaborative efforts between IITB and Advanced Renewable Tandem Photovoltaics (ART-PV), a startup incubated under SINE-IITB at the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE). ART-PV provided crucial technical support and innovation capabilities for the project’s success.
As a next-generation high-efficiency photovoltaic device, the silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell offers unique advantages. By combining a perovskite top cell and a silicon bottom cell, it can capture a broader spectrum of sunlight compared to traditional single-junction cells. Specifically, the semi-transparent perovskite top layer absorbs high-energy short-wavelength photons, such as blue and green light, while the underlying crystalline silicon (c-Si) cell captures lower-energy long-wavelength photons, such as red and infrared light. This layered absorption approach significantly enhances the solar cell’s utilization efficiency of solar energy.
The reported tandem cell follows a four-terminal (4T) configuration, with the perovskite and silicon layers stacked in a non-monolithic manner. This design allows each sub-cell to be independently optimized for peak performance. Notably, the device has demonstrated good operational stability, with a projected lifespan of up to 10 years.
Professor Dinesh Kabra of IITB highly praised this achievement. He noted that while perovskite solar cells are renowned for their high power conversion efficiency and low production costs, they traditionally suffer from poor stability and rapid degradation. The stable perovskite tandem solar cell developed in this project not only addresses these issues but also boosts overall efficiency by 30%. Simulation studies even suggest that the cell’s efficiency could theoretically reach 45%, indicating tremendous potential for future development.
The Maharashtra Institute for Transformation (MITRA), serving as the state government’s think tank driving this initiative, is actively engaging in discussions with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asian Investment Bank to secure funding support for a pilot project. The proposal aims to establish a 300 MW silicon-perovskite tandem cell manufacturing facility in Uran, Maharashtra. Pravin Pardeshi, CEO of MITRA, emphasized the significance of this breakthrough, pointing out that while China currently dominates the solar cell market, India, with its abundant perovskite resources, has the potential to take a leading position in this emerging field.
