Taskforce Perovskite Photovoltaics - Next Generation Photovoltaics

Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Helmholtz Imaging Platforms at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Helmholtz AI have now found a way to predict the quality of the perovskite layers and thus the solar cells using machine learning and new artificial methods.

Tobias Abzieher

Research and industry around the world are working on the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics. In most research laboratories, the focus is on solvent-based manufacturing processes, as these are versatile and easy to use. However, established photovoltaic companies today rely almost exclusively on vacuum processes for the deposition of high-quality thin films. An international consortium led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, USA) has analyzed this critical discrepancy between laboratory and industry. They emphasize: Industrially proven vacuum processes could contribute to rapid commercialization in perovskite solar cells with certain improvements.

We are pleased to announce that our group has produced a triple-junction perovskite-perovskite silicon solar cell that achieves a record efficiency of 24.4%.

Lukas Klein

Researchers of the Light Technology Institute at KIT and the Helmholtz Imaging platforms at the DKFZ German Cancer Research Center and Helmholtz AI have now found a way to predict the quality of the perovskite layers and thus the solar cells: using machine learning and new methods of artificial intelligence.

We're thrilled to share that Kristina Geistert has received the Poster Award in the thematic area of 
“Thin Films and New Concepts” at the EU PVSEC-40 2023! Congratulations for her outstanding visual presentation on "Upscaling of Solution Processed Perovskite PV: Drying and Crystallization Dynamics of Slot-Die Coated Perovskite Solar Modules during Gas Quenching". In this work, Kristina and her colleagues demonstrate the fundamental interrelation between drying and crystallization dynamics during perovskite morphology formation and the quality of slot-die coated gas quenched polycrystalline perovskite thin films, reliably depositing high-quality perovskite thin film with a homogeneous morphology over a large area.

Check out all Poster Award winners of the EU-PVSEC-40:

We're thrilled to share that Felix Laufer has received the Young Researcher Award at the E-MRS Fall Meeting 2023! Congratulations for his outstanding presentation on "Exploring Perovskite Thin Film Formation by Machine Learning on In Situ Photoluminescence Data." In this work, Felix and his colleagues utilize photoluminescence imaging to monitor the large-area perovskite thin-film formation process and exploit the power of machine learning to extract invaluable insights from such complex, high-dimensional data.

Check out our latest corresponding paper:

T.T. Prof. Ulrich W. Paetzold has been awarded a highly endowed ERC Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). He leads an international and highly interdisciplinary research group on new materials and processes for next generation photovoltaics. The ERC award will further strengthen his research on perovskite (tandem) photovoltaics. The proposed project aims to develop a radically new manufacturing process for high quality perovskite semiconductor that has the potential to overcome key challenges of perovskite thin film processing.

LTI

Light management, high-throughput laser interconnections and industrial coationg methods pave the way to the world’s first all perovskite tandem solar module - The team of T.T.Prof. U. Paetzold reports in Nature Energy

Marco A. Ruiz-Preciado, KIT

Stacking solar cells on top of each other increases efficiency. Researchers from the Perovskite Photovoltaics Taskforce, together with partners in the EU project PERCISTAND, have now produced perovskite/CIS tandem solar cells with an efficiency of almost 25 percent - the highest to date for this technology.

Doctoral student Ahmed Farag from the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) received an award for the best contributed talk at the hybrid 2021 Materials Research Society (MRS) fall meeting in Boston. The award was given for his oral presentation on ‘’ Micrometer-Thick Solution Processed Perovskite Solar Cells on Industrial-Like Textured Si Substrates for Efficient Light Harvesting’’.

Ms. M.Sc. Kristina Geistert was awarded the study prize of the SEW EURODRIVE STIFTUNG 2020 on 7.5.2021.
The award was given due to her outstanding study performance and master thesis on the topic "Production of perovskite solar cells based on non-hazardous volatile solvent systems". We congratulate the award winner and wish the PhD student at the Institute of Light Technology continued success.

Upscaling perovskite photovoltaics from cell to module level with scalable processes is a key challenge. Researchers at IMT and LTI have now produced perovskite solar modules with almost no loss of scaling. They combine laser-scribed interconnection lines with the ease of co-evaporated perovskites.

Breig/KIT

Effective March 1st, 2021, Ulrich W. Paetzold has been appointed to the Tenure-Track-Professorship Next Generation Photovoltaics of the KIT Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology in Area III. Ulrich W. Paetzold and his interdisciplinary team develop and research new materials, future-oriented device architectures, and innovative manufacturing processes for perovskite photovoltaics. The enormous progress in perovskite research makes this material system a beacon of hope for high-performance and cost-effective solar cells.

Gips-Schüle-Stiftung, 2020

Dr. Tobias Abzieher receives one of the renowned Young Scientist Awards 2020 of the Gips-Schüle-Stiftung for his dissertation. Due to its high relevance for the sustainable and responsible use of resources, the foundation chose the work of Dr. Abzieher as one of the three best technical and scientific dissertations in Baden-Württemberg in 2019/20.

The Optical Society (OSA) features the work of Helge Eggers presented on Inkjet-Printed Perovskite Photovoltaics at the Optical Society (OSA) 2020 Advanced Photonics Congress with a press release. Helge Eggers, doctoral student in the research group of Dr. Ulrich W. Paetzold from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, presented his latest achievements of a perovskite solar cells with inkjet-printed absorber and extraction layers, reaching power conversion efficiencies above 17%.

02.10.2019 - Doctoral student Saba Gharibzadeh received the poster award at the International Conference on Perovskite Solar Cells and Optoelectronics (PSCO 2019) in Lausanne (Switzerland). The award was given for her poster on “Record Open Circuit Voltage in High Efficiency Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells” by Prof. M. Graetzel.

01.08.2019 - Doctoral student Raphael Schmager from the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) received an award for the best student presentation at the OSA Advanced Photonics Congress in San Francisco. The award was given for his oral presentation on “Nanophotonic Perovskite Thin-Film Solar Cells by Thermal Nano-imprint Lithography” in the topical meeting on “Optical Devices and Materials for Solid Energy and Solid-state Lightning"

Since the efficiency of commercially available solar cells can only be increased to a limited extent, researchers have combined perovskite semiconductors with semiconductors made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) to form tandem solar cells. This achieves efficiencies of over 30%, while retaining all the advantages of thin-film technology.

Südwestrundfunk (SWR)

SWR Aktuell reports on perovskite research at KIT and on the world records recently achieved there for inkjet-printed perovskite solar cells.

Photovoltaics plays a crucial role in harnessing the sun as an inexhaustible source of energy. Researchers at the LTI on the KIT campus have succeeded in developing a novel, highly efficient nickel oxide hole conductor layer that helps perovskite solar cells achieve record efficiencies.