As an emerging third-generation photovoltaic technology, perovskite solar cells were launched in 2009. In just a dozen years, the photoelectric conversion efficiency increased from 3.8% to 25.7%. As the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells gradually approaches the theoretical limit, high-efficiency, low-cost perovskite cells have attracted more and more attention from the global photovoltaic industry. In this issue of Millennial Solar, we will learn about the problems faced by the industrialization of perovskite technology.

Market issues

1. The stability of perovskite cells in long-term service

The stability of perovskite solar cells is the primary challenge in practical applications. Under the stimulation of external conditions such as water vapor, high temperature, and ultraviolet radiation, perovskite cells are prone to degradation and their performance is seriously attenuated. There are two main measures to improve the stability of perovskite cells. One is to optimize the composition and microstructure of the cell itself, and the other is to optimize the packaging materials and packaging process of perovskite photovoltaic modules.

Some manufacturers have announced that their products have passed international standards such as IEC61215, and based on this, it is speculated that the service life of perovskite and crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules is equivalent, ensuring that the power generation efficiency remains above 80% after 25 years of service. However, considering that perovskite has not yet achieved mass production and application, its stability remains to be tested.

2. Efficiency and quality issues of large-area perovskites

The efficiency and quality of large-area perovskites are low, mainly due to the limitations of large-area thin film deposition equipment and process levels. Unlike crystalline silicon modules, which connect multiple small-area cells in series and parallel, perovskite modules have a coating area of square meters. At present, there is a gap between the large-area uniform continuous coating performance of domestic vacuum coating equipment and the international advanced level. In addition, process debugging on large-area coating production lines is also difficult.

3. Shortcomings in key components of photovoltaic production line equipment

After years of rapid development, China's photovoltaic industry has basically achieved localization of all production lines, but some key components of equipment still rely on imports. For example, the technical indicators and quality reliability of vacuum pumps, radio frequency power supplies, valves, etc. in vacuum coating equipment, and lasers, galvanometers, etc. in laser etching equipment are far behind those of mainstream international manufacturers.

3D Confocal Microscope

E-mail: market@millennialsolar.com

3D Confocal Microscope ME-PT3000 is a high-speed confocal scanning microscope for accurate and reliable 3-dimensional (3D) measurements. Real-time confocal microscopy images are achieved through fast optical scanning modules and signal processing algorithms.

ME-PT3000 is an optical instrument specially used in the photovoltaic industry to inspect the quality of grid lines and textures on the surface of photovoltaic cells. Based on the principle of optical technology, combined with precision Z-direction scanning module, 3D modeling algorithm, etc., the device surface is non-contactly scanned and a 3D image of the surface is established. The height and width of the grid lines on the photovoltaic cells and the texture on the surface are measured through the system software. The number of pyramids is quantitatively tested to provide feedback on the quality of photovoltaic cell cleaning, texturing and screen printing processes.

TOPCon solar cell technology has broad prospects and the potential for rapid development in the solar industry. When considering an emerging technology like this, you still need to compare it with other popular photovoltaic technologies on the market to better see its prospects. If you have any questions, please contact us.