The ORGANIST (ORGANIc / Silicon 3-terminal Tandem solar cells) is supported by the National Research Agency and will start on April 1st, 2023 for a duration of 42 months. It develops a new concept of hybrid Organic/Silicon tandem solar cells. The tandem solar cell has long been the most successful strategy to increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic solar energy conversion. This is achieved by combining two different bandgap materials, allowing a reduction of thermalization losses in comparison with a single junction solar cell. The mature silicon single junction solar cell technology, having reached 26.7%, is now close to achieving its theoretical efficiency limit of 29.4% and only marginal improvements in performance are still possible. Moreover, Si solar cells are an appropriate low bandgap (1.12 eV) bottom cell in a tandem configuration and there is great research activity investigating on larger bandgap semiconductors for the top cell.
In this context, the ORGANIST project aims at developing a new concept of Organic/Silicon tandem solar cells. The approach brings major innovation such as the combination of organic and c-Si solar cells (to date, only a very few reports on such tandem cells) and the development of the tandem cell in a 3-terminal configuration. There is also a strong industrial and societal potential linked to the industry-standard Si technology and low cost printed organic PV (OPV) technologies. Partners of the project : IMS (coordinator), GeePs (Laboratoire Génie Electrique et Electronique de Paris), LPICM (Laboratoire de Physique des Interfaces et des Couches Minces).
