The global economic and political elite met last week at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting offered a platform for discussions on the most urgent challenges, including climate and -energy crises. Solar energy as pivotal in the energy transition was featured among key points on how to ensure that the ambitious goals of climate neutrality are met in time. According to the International Energy Agency, annual additional photovoltaic (PV) power output must at least quadruple by 2030 to reach the net zero global aim by 2050.
PEPPERONI mentioned at WEF
Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz in his special address at WEF on 18th January, when speaking about Germany’s business model in the times of charting the path towards the climate-neutral future, acknowledged PEPPERONI participants and referred to the project’s aim of setting up a tandem pilot line at Qcells premises in Thalheim, Germany.
Germany’s business model is based (…) on highly specialised research and technology-intensive industrial products that are needed all around the world. Germany was and remains competitive because of the enterprises that are highly innovative and adaptable. This is also thanks to private and public investments in research and development. Just in December, a team from Helmholtz Berlin (HZB) set a new world record for the efficiency of solar cells and companies are setting up the pilot lines for the use of tandem solar cells.
Watch the recording from the special address of the Federal Chancellor (17 min 15sec).
New world record
Indeed, the end of 2022 was especially celebrated by PEPPERONI partners from HZB, as the current world record of tandem solar cells consisting of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell is once again held by HZB.
The new tandem solar cell converts 32.5 % of the incident solar radiation into electrical energy. HZB’s scientific director, Prof. Bernd Rech, noted that “at 32.5%, the solar cell efficiency of the HZB tandems is now in ranges previously only achieved by expensive III/V semiconductors.”
Read the full article from HZB here.
PEPPERONI was set up to support Europe in reaching its renewable energy targets and it will help advance perovskite/silicon tandem PV technology’s journey towards market introduction and mass manufacturing.
Featured photo of the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell by © Johannes Beckedahl/Lea Zimmerman/HZB
