Imec to lead EU-backed perovskite solar R&D effort

Belgian nanotechnology research group Imec will lead a three-year, EU-backed project that aims to overcome the limitations of current perovskite solar technology, bring it “from the lab to the fab” and demonstrate practical applications.

The Efficient Structures and Processes for Reliable Perovskite Solar Modules, or ESPResSo, project has received over EUR 5 million (USD 6.2m) from the EU. The long list of consortium members includes, in addition to Imec, research organisations and universities from Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Cyprus, materials development experts such as UK-based Dycotec Materials Ltd, Swedish Dyenamo AB, and France’s Corning SAS, equipment manufacturer M-Solv Ltd of the UK, Polish perovskite solar technology developer Saule Technologies, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) specialist Onyx Solar Energy SL of Spain.

Perovskite solar cells have already achieved efficiencies of over 22%, but the challenge remains in transferring the progress reached at the cell level into stable, low-cost modules.

Imec explains in its press release on Tuesday that the ESPResSo team targets alternative cost effective materials, novel cell concepts and architectures, and advanced processing methods and equipment to address and overcome the current limitations of perovskite solar technology. The consortium aims to bring the cell performance close to its theoretical limit by demonstrating cell efficiencies surpassing 24% on 1 sq cm, and less than 10% cell efficiency degradation following thermal stress at 85 degrees Celsius and 85% RH for over 1,000 hours. Scale up activities utilising solution processed slot-die coating and laser processing will additionally deliver modules with an efficiency of over 17% showing reliable performance over more than 20 years as deduced from IEC-compliant test conditions.

The ESPResSo project also includes work to integrate perovskite solar modules in façade elements, demonstrating a levelised cost of electricity (LCoE) equal to or lower than EUR 0.05/kWh.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.24)

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