The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded a $4m grant to perovskite developer Tandem PV to support third-party testing of its perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels.
According to the company, the funding will cover performance testing in real-world environments and assessments of the panels’ long-term durability.
This external validation will complement Tandem PV’s internal testing efforts and marks a step towards commercialisation of the perovskite-silicon tandem technology.
Tandem PV states that its panels currently reach a 28% conversion efficiency and are 30% more powerful than typical silicon panels.
Research from Oxford PV, another perovskite developer, indicates that perovskite-silicon tandem cells could theoretically reach 43% efficiency, well above the 29% ceiling for conventional silicon cells.
“This award accelerates our durability testing to bring us closer to delivering a new standard for clean energy and delivering high-efficiency solar that’s proven, reliable and ready for the market,” said Tandem PV founder and CTO Colin Bailie.
Both Tandem PV and Oxford PV have recently focused on scaling production. Tandem PV secured $50m in March to fund a commercial-scale perovskite manufacturing facility in the US.
In April, Oxford PV signed a perovskite technology patent licensing agreement with Trinasolar.
Meanwhile, California’s solar sector continues to evolve. The removal of a proposed amendment that would have sharply reduced compensation for residential solar exports under net energy metering was welcomed by the California Solar & Storage Association.
However, increasing curtailment due to high renewable capacity remains a challenge. In March, the California Independent System Operator curtailed over 900,000MWh of solar and wind generation – a record monthly figure – underscoring the need for grid infrastructure upgrades.
