New efficiency record for organic cell
US semiconductor manufacturer Polyerareports 9.1 percent efficiency in the lab, but it is unclear what the efficiency would be in industrial manufacturing – and the price is also unclear.
Polyera of Illinois has reported a new efficiency record for organic cells. The supplier of high-performance materials to the electronics industry says it has reached 9.1 percent efficiency in the lab with a novel new layering structure and the ActiveInc PV 2000 semiconductor material. The photovoltaics test lab run by Newport Corporation in Irvine, California, confirmed the results.
"We focused on the chemical structure of these materials and discovered a new way of making and combining components. In this way, we managed to optimize optical and electrical properties," says Antonio Facchetto, the founder and CTO of Polyera. "The latest findings bring us closer to the goal of marketing this technology."
An efficiency of 10 percent in mass-produced cells is considered the tipping point for the large-scale market launch of solar cells consisting of polymers and fullerenes. "But it's hard to say how much efficiency will drop in mass production," Brendan Florez, deputy general director of Polyera, told Renewables International. "After all, the actual manufacturer will determine the outcome, and that won't be us. Up to now, we have seen efficiencies drop by 4 to 6 percentage points in industrial production. Of course, we hope that our material is more robust." No manufacturer has yet been found. "We are currently making samples to find commercial partners under MTAs (material transfer agreements) and NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)," he adds.
Polyera says the new solar cell architecture will allow very flexible, light, and semitransparent modules to be made. The focus is mainly on long service life and inexpensive production. The new material can be manufactured on inexpensive foils at low temperatures in conventional pressure processes. The new photoactive layers can also be applied to the substrate in much different thicknesses without changing efficiency. In industrial production, that leeway will increase manufacturing output by simplifying the production process. "But it is still hard to say how much a module is going to cost," Florez explains. (Sven Ullrich / Craig Morris)
