Australian researcher Martin Green awarded Global Energy Prize for PERC solar cells

[PV Magazine] UNSW’s Martin Green pioneering work in developing crystalline silicon solar has now gained global recognition in the energy sector – after being awarded Russia’s Global Energy Prize.

Green, the Director of the UNSW’s Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics was awarded the Russian Global Energy Prize last week. He was selected by a committee of peers ahead of 44 contenders from 14 countries.

 

 

Green has long been credited as being the creator of the Passivated Emitter Rear Contact (PERC) solar cell, which continues to be adopted as a mainstream technology by manufacturers in 2018. Additionally, he has also spearheaded work into perovskites, selective emitter technology, and is now leading research into whole new areas of semiconductor material, for silicon-tandem cells that could potentially push efficiencies up to 30% and beyond.

Martin Green and fellow UNSW scientists were prominent at the recent SNEC trade show and conference in China, both progressing their work with industry partners on the advanced hydrogenation process, but also in collaborations ranging across PV cell production including Atomic Layer Deposition processes for PERC cell production.

SolarWorld AG new world record for PERC-technology solar cells

SolarWorld AG has set a new world record for efficiency of industrially produced solar cells made using so-called PERC-technology (passivated emitter and rear cell). The CalLab of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has confirmed that the global manufacturer of premium-quality products surpassed its own record by reaching a new height of 21.7 percent in its solar cell efficiency. 

 

 

 

The cells, based on crystalline p-type silicon wafers, were manufactured using industrial production processes, meaning that they can be quickly placed into mass production. SolarWorld will offer modules with 300-watt and more featuring this technology beginning this fall. 

 

 

 

“SolarWorld has been the first company to rely on PERC in its cell production. With this new record, we expand our technological lead even further. We can offer customers more electricity production on the same area and at the highest quality and durability,” says Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld AG. “And our researchers and developers already have an eye on the next efficiency improvements.” 

 

The passivation layer in PERC solar cells, which reflects light that would otherwise be lost is,  usually deposited by PECVD or ALD. I am waiting for a confirmation which process is used in the case of this world record.