Research & Development
Solar R&D is focused on improving efficiency, reducing production costs, and extending system longevity. Key areas include tandem and perovskite cell development, advanced materials for encapsulation and contacts, and new concepts in system integration.
Simulation tools, AI-driven design, and accelerated testing methods are expanding research capabilities. Sustainability and circularity targets are increasingly embedded in innovation strategies.
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Latest News
Solar key to space-based AI
Elon Musk, the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, raised some eyebrows at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, when he predicted “that the lowest cost place to put AI will be space and that will be true within two to three years, three at the latest.” pv magazine reported on Musk’s vision on our global website www.pv-magazine.com on Jan. 26, 2026, and exactly one week later SpaceX announced that it was acquiring xAI “to form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications, and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.”
Mar 23, 2026
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One-year outdoor testing reveals degradation paths in perovskite tandem solar cells
Researchers from TNO and Fraunhofer ISE ran a 1-year outdoor test of perovskite/perovskite/silicon triple-junction solar cells and found a clear efficiency decline from 17–18% to 13–14% driven by multi-stage degradation. The main failure mechanisms were voltage loss, encapsulation delamination, and UV/thermal-induced interface and transport-layer degradation rather than intrinsic absorber instability.
Solar module cooling tech based on perforated fins
Researchers in Algeria simulated perforated hexagonal-fin heat sinks to improve PV cooling performance using CFD analysis. The best design reduced cell temperature by up to 20.93% and increased efficiency while maintaining high thermal performance under forced convection.
Study finds tandem PV has 30% lower environmental impact than crystalline silicon
A Spanish research team conducted a cradle-to-gate LCA of eight PV technologies across three generations, finding that tandem solar cells can outperform silicon-based systems in environmental terms due to higher efficiencies. However, cadmium telluride thin-film technologies still show the lowest overall impacts, while tandem systems require long lifetimes and improved stability to deliver clear sustainability advantages over established PV technologies.
UNSW research solves critical electrolyzer bottleneck in green hydrogen production
UNSW researchers have used 3D imaging to see how trapped bubbles affect the efficacy of electrolysers in the production of green hydrogen, smoothing the way for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking and heavy-duty transport.
Foam-based floating PV system for cold climates
Researchers at Canada’s Western University demonstrated that a foam-backed floating solar PV system with an air-bubbler can operate effectively through freezing winters, keeping ice at bay with minimal energy use. The system produced up to 2.7% more annual energy than conventional PV models, reduced water evaporation, and showed strong economic potential with a payback period of about 4.2 years under high electricity prices.
UNSW, Trina Solar design silver-free back contact PV cell with screen-printed aluminum contacts
Researchers from UNSW and Trina Solar developed a silver-free silicon tunnel-back-contact solar cell using dual-polarity screen-printed aluminum contacts on poly-Si/SiOx passivated structures with optimized firing and specialized aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) pastes. The approach enables low-resistance contacts and reduced silver use, but efficiency is still limited by higher Al/Si interfacial recombination, highlighting the need for further contact and interface optimization.
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All Research & Development news
One-year outdoor testing reveals degradation paths in perovskite tandem solar cells
Researchers from TNO and Fraunhofer ISE ran a 1-year outdoor test of perovskite/perovskite/silicon triple-junction solar cells and found a clear efficiency decline from 17–18% to 13–14% driven by multi-stage degradation. The main failure mechanisms were voltage loss, encapsulation delamination, and UV/thermal-induced interface and transport-layer degradation rather than intrinsic absorber instability.
Solar module cooling tech based on perforated fins
Researchers in Algeria simulated perforated hexagonal-fin heat sinks to improve PV cooling performance using CFD analysis. The best design reduced cell temperature by up to 20.93% and increased efficiency while maintaining high thermal performance under forced convection.
Study finds tandem PV has 30% lower environmental impact than crystalline silicon
A Spanish research team conducted a cradle-to-gate LCA of eight PV technologies across three generations, finding that tandem solar cells can outperform silicon-based systems in environmental terms due to higher efficiencies. However, cadmium telluride thin-film technologies still show the lowest overall impacts, while tandem systems require long lifetimes and improved stability to deliver clear sustainability advantages over established PV technologies.
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UNSW research solves critical electrolyzer bottleneck in green hydrogen production
UNSW researchers have used 3D imaging to see how trapped bubbles affect the efficacy of electrolysers in the production of green hydrogen, smoothing the way for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking and heavy-duty transport.
Foam-based floating PV system for cold climates
Researchers at Canada’s Western University demonstrated that a foam-backed floating solar PV system with an air-bubbler can operate effectively through freezing winters, keeping ice at bay with minimal energy use. The system produced up to 2.7% more annual energy than conventional PV models, reduced water evaporation, and showed strong economic potential with a payback period of about 4.2 years under high electricity prices.
UNSW, Trina Solar design silver-free back contact PV cell with screen-printed aluminum contacts
Researchers from UNSW and Trina Solar developed a silver-free silicon tunnel-back-contact solar cell using dual-polarity screen-printed aluminum contacts on poly-Si/SiOx passivated structures with optimized firing and specialized aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) pastes. The approach enables low-resistance contacts and reduced silver use, but efficiency is still limited by higher Al/Si interfacial recombination, highlighting the need for further contact and interface optimization.
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Chinese scientists improve kesterite solar cell efficiency with potassium fluoride
A Chinese team improved kesterite solar cell efficiency using potassium fluoride (KF) treatment to optimize absorber quality and interface properties. The best device reached 8.04% efficiency, with gains driven by reduced interface defects and improved carrier management.
Study finds ‘significant’ agrivoltaic potential in Austria
A techno-economic study in Austria evaluates agrivoltaic systems using a spatial simulation framework that jointly models solar power generation and crop production under current and future climate conditions. Results show ground-mounted PV delivers the highest electricity output and profits, while agrivoltaics reduce agricultural losses but offer only modest climate adaptation benefits compared to PV-only systems.
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