Researchers at the Photovoltaics Laboratory (KPV-Lab) of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a leading research institution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced on 30 May that a perovskite silicon solar cell has achieved a power conversion efficiency of 33.7%, a result confirmed by the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI).

An open-circuit voltage of 1.974 V and a short-circuit current density of 20.99 mA/cm2 were achieved by the 1 cm2 solar cell with a fill factor of 81.3%. The team has been working on the perovskite-silicon tandem cell concept since 2016, including related methods, equipment and new materials, and has overcome many challenges, such as uniformly covering the micrometre-sized pyramidal surface of the silicon cell with perovskite material.

“In two months, we’ve set a new world record for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells – again! With our latest update, perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have achieved an impressive 33.7% certified power conversion efficiency, surpassing our previous milestone of 33.2%. We hope that our new achievement will help accelerate the transition to green energy,” KAUST Professor Erkan Aydin announced on his social media account.