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The World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC) combines the world’s most important PV conferences with the European PV Solar Energy Conference (EU PVSEC), the Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (IEEE PVSC) and the International PV Science and Engineering Conference (PVSEC). Thus, it provides the ideal platform for international exchange.

Highly efficient solar cells thanks to PVD coating

Soon, highly efficient solar cells will be essential to achieve the targeted climate goals and the shift away from fossil energy sources. N-type cell technologies such as TOPCon and heterojunction are the main concepts available for investing in production at gigawatt scale now. Solar cells with more than 24 percent or over 25 percent efficiency are already on the market. And the potential is not yet exhausted: the next leap to 28 – 30 percent efficiency is expected to be achieved in a few years with tandem technologies. This is a combination of two stacked solar cells for higher efficiencies in mass production.

The potential of the three technologies can only be leveraged with PVD coatings1. Thus, both heterojunction and TOPCon technology have already been able to challenge the previous standard (PERC cells) for significant market shares. A significant contribution to this has been made by the mechanical engineering company VON ARDENNE, which has already placed coating systems with an annual production capacity of 14GW on the market.

VON ARDENNE also has a pioneering role in tandem technologies: As one of the world’s leading companies in vacuum coating technology and a specialist in scaling, the company is working with its partners on rapidly transferring this technology from the development and pilot stage to high-volume production for gigawatt factories.

Now, VON ARDENNE is presenting the latest results of its development work on heterojunction, TOPCon and tandem solar cells at WCPEC-8 in Milan.