Heliatek, a company leading the development of high-end solar PV technology, has set a new record for organic solar cells after Fraunhofer ISE CalLab certified a cell efficiency of 9.8 % for a 1.1 cm² tandem cell manufactured with a low temperature deposition process. This is the third time that Heliatek has set a record for efficiency in the field of organic photovoltaic. The figure of 9.8 % represents a 1.5 % leap in cell efficiency.
Dr. Martin Pfeiffer, co-founder and CTO of Heliatek, explains “Heliatek is the only solar company in the world focused on the deposition of small molecules with low temperature processes, a method that has already been widely adopted by the market for use with organic LEDs (OLEDs). The company develops and synthesizes in-house the molecules responsible for capturing light in solar cells and converting this light into electricity. Organic solar cells from Heliatek have now reached the level of efficiency of conventional solar cells made from amorphous silicon.”
Heliatek has both its own chemistry research department as well as a physics research department. This combination creates efficient synergies, enabling simultaneous work on material quality and cell design. Heliatek was able to optimise the absorber layer system of the record-breaking cells through synthetizing the right materials. Furthermore, by improving the deposition process, cell morphology was significantly improved, leading to an increase in power output and in fill factor.
The cell construction will gradually be integrated into Heliatek’s manufacturing process after the scheduled start of production in the second half of 2012. In-house measurements have shown that scaling up the record-breaking cells to a panel with a size factor >120 results in an efficiency over 9 % for the active module area.
Thibaud Le Séguillon, CEO of Heliatek, concludes: “The next step on our way to 15 % will be a cell with over 10 % efficiency sometime next year. This latest record validates once again the decision taken at the outset by our investors and our team to commit ourselves to the production of organic solar based on small molecules using low temperature processes. Our flexible, thin and light panels open up new fields of applications that were so far impossible to address with conventional PV technologies. After our third investment round scheduled for 2012 - during which we plan to raise some €50 million in new capital from current and new investors - we plan to expand our production capacity with additional manufacturing lines. This will allow us to market our high-performance panels into new areas, such as windows and facades for BIPV. This technology has really the potential to revolutionize the solar industry.”
