GCL Photovoltaic's 279×370mm Chalcogenide Stacked Module Achieves 26.17% Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency

November 30, Kunshan GCL Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as "GCL Optoelectronics") announced that, by the China Academy of Measurement Sciences authoritative certification, its latest research and development of 279mm × 370mm chalcocite stacked components photoelectric conversion efficiency reached 26.17%, creating another new world record!
It is also reported that this is another good news after GCL Photonics announced on November 23 that the efficiency of its 1mX2m chalcogenide single-junction module reached 18.04%. GCL Photovoltaic has indicated that it will continue to make a two-pronged effort on area and efficiency, striving to break through the commercialization starting point of 26% efficiency of 1000mm×2000mm stacked modules.
GCL Photovoltaic was established at the end of 2019, located in Pingqian International Modern Industrial Park, Kunshan Hi-tech Zone, with a registered capital of RMB 91,620,478,770,000, the company focuses on the research and development, production of chalcocite solar modules to provide the market with 1 m × 2 m size solar modules, and it has built the industry's advanced production line of 100 MW of chalcocite solar cells, and the company's business goal is to provide PV power generation that can realize the parity of price The company's business goal is to provide solar panels that can realize affordable photovoltaic power generation, so that clean energy can become the mainstream of the energy market.
In terms of technical team, the company is one of the earliest teams in China to engage in the development of the production line of calcitonite modules, led by Dr. Fan Bin, a Swiss EPFL doctor. At present, the team has a total of more than 150 employees, including more than 80 R&D personnel, more than half of whom have doctoral and master's degrees, and some of whom are overseas returnees with strong R&D capabilities.
The R&D team possesses the core technology of CaTiO solar cells, and 61 patents have been authorized, including 17 invention patents and 44 utility model patents, and 45 invention patents and 12 utility model patents are under trial, which cover the important aspects of raw material preparation, key equipment design, and key processes. Meanwhile, the team has published more than ten research papers in SCI journals, such as ChemSusChem, ACS Appl. Mater. & Interfaces, J. Mater. Chem.
In terms of production line, the company invested in the construction of the world's first 100MW mass production line in Kunshan in 2021 to complete the construction of the plant and the main hardware, and has been in stable operation for nearly 2 years.
In the "Science and Technology Support Carbon Peak Carbon Neutral Implementation Plan (2022-2030)" issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology and other nine departments, it is proposed that by 2025 to realize the major breakthroughs in key industries and fields of low-carbon key core technologies; by 2030, to further research and breakthroughs in a number of carbon-neutral and cutting-edge and subversive technologies. Involving a variety of new energy storage and power generation technologies, including the recent market hit of calcium titanium ore batteries. The "program" puts forward, research and development of high-efficiency silicon-based photovoltaic batteries, high-efficiency and stable chalcogenide batteries and other technologies; research can break through the theoretical efficiency limit of single-junction photovoltaic battery photoelectric conversion of new principles, research on high-efficiency thin-film batteries, stacked batteries and other photovoltaic battery based on new materials and new structure of the new technology.
The earliest discovery of chalcogenide materials can be traced back to the 19th century. It originated from the mineral Calcium Titanium Oxide (CaTiO3), which was discovered by the German mineralogist Gustav Rose in 1839, and later characterized by the Russian mineralogist Lev A. Perovski, from which Calcium Titanium Ore (Perovskite) got its name; in 1978, Weber developed an organic metal halide, which has the same CaTiO3 crystal structure, so it is also known as chalcogenide materials; around 2009, scientists began to discover its unique photovoltaic properties in the field of solar cells, which has attracted widespread attention and research.
In the field of photovoltaics, chalcogenide materials mainly refer to a class of solar cell materials with a chalcogenide structure. These solar cells use inorganic chalcogenide materials with a chalcogenide structure as a light absorbing layer, capable of converting sunlight into electricity.
Chalcogenide solar cells are characterized by high efficiency, low cost, and renewability. However, the low efficiency of large-area components of chalcogenide solar cells has been the bottleneck of their development in the past, and the breakthrough of GCL Photovoltaic has provided a more solid foundation for the commercial application of chalcogenide solar cells.
GCL Photovoltaic has always been committed to the research and development of high-efficiency and high-quality chalcogenide solar cells and modules, and has continuously promoted the development of the solar energy industry. This breakthrough also further consolidates GCL-PV's leading position in the field of chalcogenide solar cells.