Belgian research centre Imec has announced that it has boosted the performance of its its 4 cm2 perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic module to a power conversion efficiency of 23.9%. According to Imec, this is the first time that a module-on-cell stack structure has outperformed a standalone silicon solar cell.

'Two innovations are key to this achievement,' said group leader for thin-film photovoltaics at imec and perovskite PV program manager at Solliance. 'First, a different perovskite material (CsFAPbIBr) was used, largely improving the stability and conversion efficiency of the 4 cm 2 semi-transparent perovskite module to 15.3%. Second, the architecture of the stack was optimized for minimal optical losses by adding an anti-reflection texture on top of the module and a refractive index matching liquid between the perovskite module and the Si solar cell.'

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) discovered unique properties in certain halide perovskites: they are able to block heat transfer while preserving high electrical conductivity - a rare pairing that could reduce heat buildup in electronic devices and turbine engines, among other possible applications.

These thermoelectric properties were found in nanoscale wires of cesium tin iodide (CsSnI3). The material was observed to have one of the lowest levels of heat conductivity among materials with a continuous crystalline structure. The material can also be more easily produced in large quantities than typical thermoelectric materials, such as silicon-germanium, researchers said.