Techno-economic analysis of perovskite-tandem solar modules

Tandem photovoltaics (PV) is a promising new technology that can improve the efficiency of the current PV modules, even higher than the theoretical limit of the single-junction solar cells. To assess the commercialization potential of these tandem devices and transfer them from the lab to the market, a techno-economic analysis is conducted. The large-scale manufacturing costs of four high-efficiency two-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem that have been fabricated in the lab are calculated and compared with their respective conceptual 4-terminal device. Manufacturing costs using low-cost manufacturing processes (slot-die coating and screen printing instead of spin coating) were estimated at around 106 $/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> to 110 $/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2,</sup> with the 4T modules having about 4 $/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> higher costs than their 2T counterparts for a facility in China. The p-i-n (inverted) structure of the perovskite cell has similar costs to the n-i-p structure but with different cost barriers. The electron transport layer precursor material of the inverted structure and the hole transport layer materials of the n-i-p structure are identified as some of the highest cost contributors. Comparing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the tandem modules to the market-dominant crystalline silicon (c-si) single junction cells shows that, on the one hand, even with the highest efficiency cell (32.5%), the tandem modules still cannot reach the LCOE of single junction silicon modules in a utility system, due to the increased fabrication costs coming with the increased efficiency. On the other hand, in a residential system, high-efficiency tandems can reduce the LCOE by as much as one cts/kWh. Moreover, a manufacturing facility in Switzerland increases the manufacturing costs by about 35 $/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> and the LCOE between 0.6-0.8 cts/kWh, largely due to the increased labor cost compared to China.