To prevent the worst outcomes of climate change and increase Europe’s energy independence, urgent and massive efforts are required to transform Europe’s energy production to renewable and secure sources. Photovoltaics (PV) has emerged as a key technology in these efforts with projected annual growth rates of 30-35% over the next years. A strong base of the PV industry across the entire value chain is, therefore, of strategic importance for Europe to support this strong market growth.
Since the currently dominating silicon (Si) PV technology is approaching its efficiency limit, PEPPERONI aims to ‘spice up’ cost-efficient industrial Si cells with a thin perovskite top cell in a monolithic tandem device. This technology promises the best ratio of performance over manufacturing costs and therefore enables to push solar module efficiencies beyond the limit of Si at lowest CO2 footprint.
The key objective of PEPPERONI is to enable large-scale production of such tandem PV modules in Europe by (i) demonstrating 26% more efficient modules on industrial scale; (ii) developing fabrication processes for high-volume manufacturing; (iii) extending the operational stability of tandems to meet market expectations (>30 yr); and (iv) removing any human health or environmental risk.
To reach these objectives, PEPPERONI capitalises on the world-leading tandem PV expertise of a strong and complementary consortium: 4 equipment suppliers, 2 material suppliers, 1 service provider, 9 R&D institutes and universities that hold tandem efficiency world records, and one of the world’s largest PV module manufacturers: PEPPERONI partner Q CELLS. When joining forces, their excellence puts PEPPERONI in the unique position to set up a tandem pilot line in Europe by 2026. This will establish a robust and competitive European innovation base and PV supply chain, putting all involved partners well on track towards GW-scale production of solar modules in Europe by 2030.
