Outlook

It is therefore of vital importance that new technologies are developed to overcome the weaknesses of silicon and revive the industry. CHEOPS has shown that the best alternative is silicon/perovskite solar cells which already show cell efficiencies close to 30%. With a theoretical efficiency limit of 33% for perovskite compared to 29% for silicon and the fact that tandem cells can harvest a broader spectrum of the light than conventional single cells. To revive and even accelerate the growth of solar energy generation globally, an easy innovation process to transfer the technology to production facilities is key. CHEOPS has shown that existing manufacturing methods used for conventional silicon devices – representing the vast majority of manufacturing sites globally – only require minor modifications in order to be ready to produce tandem cells. Last but not least, the assessment of the socio-economic impact of the technology has shown that the environmental impact of large-scale production of tandem cells are inconsiderable compared to competing technologies. In essence, CHEOPS manifests itself as an extraordinary project with a truly excellent academic output that succeeded in breaking down barrier to commercialisation. CHEOPS combined the best of both worlds in photovoltaics and applied thorough innovation processes which resulted in substantial contributions to pave the way for European leadership in solar energy.