According to Max Hoerantner, co-founder of Swift Solar, a San Francisco start-up, there are only about 10 start-up firms in the world working on perovskite technology.
Oxford PV, a university spin-off, says it reached 28% efficiency with a commercial perovskite-based solar cell in late 2018, and will have an annual 250-megawatt production line running this year.
Both Oxford PV and Swift Solar make tandem solar cells – these are silicon panels which also have a thin perovskite film layer.
Since they’re made from two materials, they get to break through the Shockley-Queisser limit.
The silicon absorbs the red band of the visible light spectrum, and the perovskite the blue bit, giving the tandem bigger efficiency than either material alone.
About The Author: Joel Jean
Joel is the CEO and co-founder of Swift Solar, which is developing a new class of efficient, lightweight, and flexible solar products based on perovskite semiconductors.
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