The solar cell technology PERC enables PV cell manufacturers to decrease costs and increase efficiency. PES gets an insight on the state-of-the-art and next generation PERx technology from Mirko Meyer, Product Manager Meyer Burger, Germany, AG.
The success story of photovoltaics has always been a technology story which is still being written. Numerous PV technology options are available today. The common focus of the PV industry is to drive production costs down while increasing the energy yield of solar modules. Striving to reach this common goal has already made PV one of the most affordable sources of electrical energy globally. Beside this economical and the obvious ecological aspect PV is also very attractive because it can be rapidly installed at decentralized locations.
The wafer to cell conversion is one of the key elements to get a valuable high quality PV system which is able to produce electricity at lowest costs.
PERC: Lower costs and higher prizes
An important result of the PV technology evolution is the successful multi gigawatt deployment of PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) cell technology into world-wide solar cell production facilities since 2015. PERC is an upgrade technology for standard Al-BSF solar cells which increases efficiencies by using aluminium oxide (AIOx) passivation with a silicon nitride capping layer.
Picture 1: PERC cell structure with AlOX layer
Demand for PERC technology is set to continue in the coming years. The reason for this continuous success is simple. The total Wp costs for PERC modules are lower than for Al-BSF modules while the prize potential for PERC products is higher in the market.
