Singlet Fission Provides a Scalable Pathway to High Efficiency Silicon Photovoltaics

Every ten years the photovoltaic market grows tenfold, driven by increasing cell efficiencies and lower manufacturing and installation costs. If the next decade maintains this trend it must be via a technological transformation: The first commercial silicon-based devices that exceed the 29.4% efficiency limit of conventional ‘single junction’ silicon cells.Tandem cells are a contender to lead the transition. They complement the response of silicon in the near infrared with a second solar cell tuned for the visible spectrum. Tandem cells, however, have important constraints, typically including the need for current matching between two solar cells, more complex manufacturing requirements, and less consistent performance under varying environmental and illumination conditions. In fact, tandems are yet to be manufactured at scale or produce significant energy terrestrially.