Lai Ju Chen, chairman of the Taiwan Perovskite Research and Industry Association (TPRIA), said Taiwan has great potential in developing the third-generation perovskite solar cells (PSC). Taiwan holds advantages in the semiconductor, photovoltaics, and panel industries and its expertise is increasingly demanded due to geopolitical factors.
Chen pointed out that the two major types of PSCs are the single-layered PSC and the tandem perovskite cells, which consist of a silicon base and stacked PSCs.
The efficiency of the two PSCs still needs to be scaled up. Some said the industry should first focus on developing the single-layered PSC, so the technology, along with silicon solar cells, can benefit the rapid area growth of global photovoltaics. Others claimed that the industry should go directly to the tandem perovskite cells.
According to Chen, PSC is an extension of the LED panel industry. The most important thing is to ensure the quality of large battery modules. He said Taiwan possesses advantages in processes and equipment. For example, Kingyoup Optronics has launched the third-generation equipment for PSC coating after supplying the first-generation equipment to China-based customers.
China dominates the silicon solar cells with a global market share of over 85%, prompting Europe, the US and Japan to work with Taiwan on next-generation products to reduce dependence on China.
Compared to relying solely on silicon, PSC can be made with multiple combinations of materials and used in many components such as conductors, thin film electrodes, and packaging materials, said Chen.
Taiwan holds the advantages in developing PSC, Chen added. The mission of TPRIA is to gather companies to help the industry make a comeback in the future.
