INCREASING SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY

have an efficiency rate of between 20% and 22%. However, solar energy companies are researching better, more efficient materials to reach their targets and KAUST is working with multiple partners in the PV field. In May 2023, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based solar panel manufacturer LONGi, the current recordholder for best power conversion efficiency in a silicon-only solar cell. The university is driving its own innovation through the KAUST Solar Center (KSC) and KAUST PV Laboratory.

and KAUST’s own previous record of 33.2% set in April 2023. The result produced by KAUST has been certified by the European Solar Test Installation laboratory and listed at the top of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Best Research-Cell Efficiency Chart in the category of Emerging PV Perovskite/SI tandem (monolithic).

“The new KAUST tandem record is a milestone, and it provides a solid technological insight and guide for the photovoltaic industry.”

STEFAAN DE WOLF Professor of Material Science and Engineering

2060, as well as help accelerate the global green transition. The Kingdom has a central role in the global energy market. Moreover, it aims to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas, and develop its green energy capacity to drive global renewable energy innovation.

In May 2023, a team of KAUST researchers set a world record for the efficiency of a new type of solar cell that combines silicon and perovskite. Known as a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell, the technology is expected to significantly benefit the solar energy industry, boosting the prospects for the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure.

Most solar panels currently use crystalline silicon cells, which make up around 90% of the global photovoltaic (PV) market and typically

The KSC produced a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 33.7%, making it the most efficient tandem device in the world to date, surpassing the rate of 32.5% recorded by Germany’s Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin research center

Dr. Stefaan De Wolf and his team at the KSC have been steadily perfecting the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell concept by developing new materials, methods and devices, as well as by tackling some of the

Xu Xixiang, Chief Scientist and Vice President, LONGi Central Research & Development Institute

KAUST expects to play a major role in the development of the Kingdom’s solar power capacity by expanding on its recent breakthroughs to increase PV efficiency. The university also offers a range of opportunities for students who are looking to study renewable energy through institutions such as the KSC SESP PV Design School, which aims to develop a new generation of PV designers.

“ARC KAUST is a unique addition to our global network of research centers, enabling us to leverage the KAUST ecosystem to expand our upstream sustainability and digitization research efforts.”

Ghaithan Al-Muntasheri, Director, EXPEC Advanced Research Center, Aramco