SBIR Phase I: strain-relief interconnection and encapsulation of perovskite/silicon tandems

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project is to increase the competitiveness of the United States in photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing through the development of advanced perovskite/silicon tandem technology. Photovoltaics (PV) are an important energy source to reach 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, and its annual deployment needs to quadruple to meet that target. However, PV companies are suffering with low gross profit margins due to little-to-no product differentation. Perovskite/silicon tandem technology offers >30% higher efficiency than today’s best-in-class silicon PV technology. This improved efficiency could drive down manufacturing cost of PVs and increase the profitability of US PV manufacturers. The high efficiency panel also further discounts the balance-of-system cost, lowering the levelized cost of electricity, which, in turn, could accelerate the deployment of PV as the dominant energy source to power a sustainable future. The intellectual merit of this project is in the demonstration of strain-relief interconnection and encapsulation technologies for perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaics. To address the challenges associated with the temperature-sensitive and mechanically delicate perovskite materials, this project will seek to first understand both the thermal and mechanical stress thresholds of tandem devices and then implement metallization and encapsulation strategies to minimize the thermal and mechanical stresses during the module fabrication processes, delivering reliable tandem modules. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.