Oxford Photovoltaics (Oxford PV) was founded in 2010 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, to commercialize a new technology for thin-film solar cells. It was amongst the first in the world to recognize the potential of perovskites to act as a low-cost, highly efficient solar cell absorber material to convert sunlight into electricity.
The Company focuses on developing and commercializing a perovskite-based solar technology. Its research and development site in Oxford, UK, and pilot and production line near Berlin, Germany, enable the accelerated transfer of Oxford PV's technology into industrial-scale perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cell manufacturing.
The Company exclusively licensed the rapidly growing portfolio of fundamental intellectual property developed by its academic team.
Oxford PV has acquired the former thin-film production site of Bosch Solar in Germany, to establish a fab with pilot-scale capacity for perovskite wafers. To that end, the Company also received funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB), to support the commercialization of its perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cell technology.
Unit 7–8 Oxford Pioneer Park
Mead Road, Yarnton
Kidlington, Oxon
OX5 1QU
United Kingdom
Oxford PV announces the first commercial deployment of a perovskite tandem solar panel
Oxford PV has announced that it has started the commercialization of tandem solar technology with the first shipment to a U.S.-based customer.
The 72-cell panels, comprised of Oxford PV’s proprietary perovskite-on-silicon solar cells, can reportedly produce up to 20% more energy than a standard silicon panel. They will be used in a utility-scale installation, reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and contributing to more efficient land use by generating more electricity from the same area.
Oxford PV releases teaser that promises "a new era" of solar technology
Oxford PV recently posted a cryptic message on its LinkedIn page, stating that: "Solar is about to enter a new era. Ready to see what’s next? We have some exciting news to share very soon....". Here's the video that followed this message:
We'll have to wait and see what Oxford PV's big news is, hopefully it'll have something to do with imminent commercialization of the Company's PSC technology. In June, Oxford PV announced a record-setting 26.9% efficiency for its double-glass, 60-cell “residential sized” perovskite tandem module at the Intersolar Europe 2024 event. The module reportedly has a surface area of a little over 1.6 m square meters (1m x 1.7m) and weighs a little under 25 kg. In January, a research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE reported a PV module using perovskite silicon tandem solar cells from Oxford PV with an efficiency of 25% and an out-put of 421 watts on an area of 1.68 square meters, stating it is a record efficiency for a silicon perovskite tandem solar module in industrial format.
Oxford University team develops perovskite solar coatings that could be placed on everyday objects
Scientists at Oxford University Physics Department have developed thin-film perovskite coatings that could be placed onto the surfaces of everyday objects like cars and mobile phones to generate increasing amounts of solar electricity without the use of silicon-based solar panels.
Dr Shuaifeng Hu, Post Doctoral Fellow at Oxford University Physics, holding the new thin-film perovskite material. Image credit: Martin Small and Oxford University.
The light-absorbing material is said to be, for the first time, thin and flexible enough to apply to the surface of almost any building or common object. Using a pioneering technique developed in Oxford, which stacks multiple light-absorbing layers into one solar cell, they have harnessed a wider range of the light spectrum, allowing more power to be generated from the same amount of sunlight.
Sunmaxx PVT and Oxford PV unveil world’s most efficient solar PVT module
Sunmaxx PVT, a German developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic-thermal solar modules, and Oxford PV, a producer of high-efficiency tandem solar cells, announced the launch of the “Solar Hammer" module. This partnership marks the first use of perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells in a photovoltaic thermal module, enabling a very high conversion efficiency. Both the cells and the modules are produced in Germany.
Sunmaxx PVT’s modules combine proven thermal management technology from the automotive industry with photovoltaics, leading to a total conversion efficiency of 80%, certified by Fraunhofer ISE. Oxford PV’s perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells have broken multiple records for conversion efficiency. In combination, these technologies enable more usable electricity and heat to be generated from the sun’s energy. The new module comes at a record efficiency of 26.6% electrical and 53.4% thermal efficiency, totaling 80% overall efficiency on aperture area level of 1.63 m2. The electrical power of the module with 6×10 M6 cells is 433 W, surpassing the previous record of Fraunhofer ISE.
Oxford PV unveils residential solar module with record-setting 26.9% efficiency
Oxford PV has announced a record-setting 26.9% efficiency for its double-glass, 60-cell “residential sized” perovskite tandem module at the Intersolar Europe 2024 event. The module reportedly has a surface area of a little over 1.6 m square meters (1m x 1.7m) and weighs a little under 25 kg, “the ideal size for residential applications,” according to Oxford PV.
Oxford PV produces the proprietary high efficiency tandem solar cells at its manufacturing facility in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, and uses both in-house and contract services for the module assembly.
