Solar Research: On the Hunt for the Super-cell
European Sharc25 project aims to achieve 25 percent efficiency with thin-film solar cells
A new European research project that goes by the name Sharc25 is setting out to make an extremely efficient thin-film solar cell for the next generation of more cost-effective solar modules. Its objective is to achieve up to 25 percent efficiency in thin-film solar cells made by the coevaporation of copper indium gallium (di)selenide, or CIGS for short. That kind of performance would top the previous best mark by just over three percentage points. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) is coordinating the project. Eleven research partners from eight countries are on board. Launched in May, the project will run for 3.5 years and get €4.6 million in EU funding sourced from the research framework program Horizon 2020. The Swiss government is providing another €1.6 million. The results of this project could well give the European solar industry a boost.
