Panasonic Corporation has announced that it has achieved the world’s highest energy conversion efficiency of 16.09% for a perovskite solar module by developing a lightweight technology using a glass substrate and large-area coating method based on inkjet printing.

This was carried out as a part of the project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), which is working toward the development of technologies to reduce power generation costs for high performance and high-reliability PV power generation to foster the growth of renewable energy, especially solar power generation.

An interesting part of this innovative technology is that it uses an inkjet-based coating method that can cover a large area and is cost-effective. In addition to this, this latest technology allows for generating solar power at locations where conventional panels are hard to install.

The main advantage of a solar perovskite cell is that it has the structural advantage as its thickness is a minuscule part of the crystalline silicon solar cells. The lightweight nature of the cells makes it easier to install on facades and windows by using a transparent conductive electrode which can promote the concept of Net Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB). The cost-effective nature of perovskite cells makes them the most attractive proposition for the future.

The high conversion efficiency was achieved by focusing on the inkjet coating method, where the raw material was applied uniformly on each layer of the solar cell including the perovskite layer to achieve the high conversion efficiency for a large area module.

One of the main atomic groups that form the perovskite crystal is methylamine which has issues of thermal stability during the heating process. The research team at Panasonic altered some parts of methylamine into formamidinium, cesium, and rubidium, which have an appropriate diameter size and play a vital role in contributing to high power conversion efficiency.

The inkjet coating method was used to control the concentration of perovskite ink to certain content and by precisely controlling the coating amount and speed during the printing process, which led to the high-power conversion efficiency of large-area modules.

By using these technologies, the research team at Panasonic succeeded in enhancing crystal growth and improving the uniformity for thickness and crystal layer, which led to the achievement of 16.09% efficiency which might be a step closer to practical application.

Recently, JinkoSolar, a China-based solar module manufacturer, announced that it has broken the world record for maximum conversion efficiency for its bifacial solar modules, hitting 22.49%. With this, the company says it has set a new industry standard for the efficiency of mass-produced solar cells.

Earlier, Beijing-based Hanergy Holding Group Ltd, the thin-film solar power company, had announced that its Chengdu Research & Development Center once again breached the world record for its silicon heterojunction technology with a record-setting 25.11% conversion efficiency.

Previously, Mercom had reported that a team at the Australian National University had achieved a 21.6% solar cell efficiency. This is the highest value attained for perovskite cells that are above specific dimensions. In the current market scenario, rooftop solar panels being installed have an efficiency of 17% to 18%.