Oxford Photovoltaics Limited (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.
Oxford PV is developing and commercializing thin-film perovskite solar cells, which can be printed directly onto silicon solar cells, CIGS solar cells or glass. Pioneering work developing perovskite thin-film solar cells has delivered a route to boosting the efficiency of current commercial cells; using a high efficiency coating in a multi-junction or “tandem†cell architecture. In addition, printing perovskites directly onto glass has led to a semi-transparent coating ideal for BIPV applications and, once integrated into the glazing units of a building, the technology is capable of providing a significant percentage of the building’s electrical energy requirements directly from sunlight.
By employing well known and well understood printing processes, focused on inexpensive and abundant raw materials, Oxford PV has developed a highly cost effective technology.
The company has 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 of €15 million form the European Investment Bank (EIB), to support the commercialization of its perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cell technology. In June 2018, Oxford PV reported a new perovskite tandem solar cell record, certified by Fraunhofer ISE at a conversion efficiency of 27.3%. Oxford PV’s latest record for a 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon tandem solar, reportedly exceeds the former 26.7% efficiency world record for a single-junction silicon solar cell.
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The latest Oxford PV news:
Oxford PV pushes toward commercializing tin-using perovskite solar cells
Oxford PV has shared its plan to bring to market a tin-using, perovskite-based solar cell by the end of next year, according to International Tin Association (ITA). Compared to lead, it is hoped that tin can be a safer, more efficient element in the photovoltaic cell.
'Our perovskite solar cell technology will allow silicon solar cell and module manufacturers to break through their performance barrier,' Oxford PV says on its website. Voices have been heard that Oxford PV has managed to successfully the stability issue and can now bring the technology to the market.
Oxford PV and Meyer Burger enter strategic partnership
Oxford Photovoltaics and Meyer Burger Technology have entered into a strategic partnership and signed an exclusive cooperation agreement to jointly accelerate the development of mass production technology for perovskite on silicon heterojunction (HJT) tandem solar cells.
Meyer Burger and Oxford PV agreed to combine Meyer Burger's leading HJT and SmartWire Connection technology with Oxford PV's perovskite solar cell technology. Meyer Burger will sell a 200 MW HJT line for the pilot production of tandem cells that will be ramped up by the end of 2020 in Oxford PV's Brandenburg an der Havel facility. The initial tandem solar cell efficiency target for the 200 MW pilot production line will be 27%. The characteristics of Meyer Burger's HJT cells make them the perfect bottom cells for Oxford PV's perovskite top cell layers.
Oxford PV raises £31 Million funding
Oxford PV recently announced first close of Series D funding round, attracting major new investment and continued support from existing shareholders. The Company raised £31 Million - around $41 Million USD.
The round includes a major new investment from Goldwind, the leading provider of integrated renewable energy solutions in China, as well as investment from existing shareholders including Equinor and Legal & General Capital.
Oxford PV hits 28% efficiency with its tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells
Oxford PV, a leading developer of perovskite solar cells, has announced a new, certified, 28% efficiency world record for its perovskite-based solar cell.
Oxford PV's 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell has achieved a 28% conversion efficiency, certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The achievement trumps Oxford PV's previous certified record of 27.3% efficiency for its perovskite-silicon solar cell, announced earlier this year.
Prof. Henry J. Snaith discusses perovskite PVs, their current status and future prospects
Scientific Video Protocols (SciVPro) is a no-fee, open access peer-reviewed video platform that publishes scientifically sound research from all areas of natural science and technology. The open availability of the video protocol on Youtube facilitates the dissemination of experimental details among the scientific community and the public at large, while promoting authors' research activities and easing reproducibility of results.
SciVPro released a fascinating interview with the renowned Prof. Henry J. Snaith, Professor of Physics in the Clarendon Laboratory at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Royal Society. He has pioneered the field of perovskite solar cells and published more than 300 papers. He is the founder and Chief Scientist Officer of Oxford Photovoltaics, which holds the largest perovskite patent portfolio worldwide and focuses on developing and commercializing perovskite PV technology.
ESPRC announces new partnership programs with a focus on high-efficiency perovskite solar cells
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced seven new Prosperity Partnership projects that will build links between the UK's research base and leading industry partners. The new projects will focus on four of the Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges (ISCF) , involve nineteen industry partners and ten universities, and will fund 50 studentships.
Prosperity Partnerships are EPSRC's flagship approach to co-investing with business in long-term, use-inspired, basic research. They are five-year, multi-million pound research collaborations on topics of national and global importance which have been co-created by leading UK universities and businesses with a strong research presence in the UK.
Oxford PV receives a €2.8 million grant to prepare perovskite-silicon solar cell production for high volume manufacture
Oxford Photovoltaics (PV) has been awarded a â¬2.8 million grant from the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy to prepare perovskite-silicon solar cells for high-volume manufacturing. The technology consortium is by headed by Oxford PV and includes specialist PV equipment manufacturer VON ARDENNE and three German institutes, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Technical University of Berlin.
The newly funded project focuses on the optimization of the perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell architecture, to make further efficiency improvements on industrial 156 mm x 156 mm wafer formats. Importantly, this will include the refinement of industrial scale process technology as well as life-cycle analysis on the social-environmental impact of such cells.
Oxford PV sets new record with perovskite tandem solar cells with 27.3% conversion efficiency
Oxford Photovoltaics has reported a new perovskite tandem solar cell record, certified by Fraunhofer ISE at a conversion efficiency of 27.3%. Oxford PV's latest record for a 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon tandem solar, reportedly exceeds the 26.7% efficiency world record for a single-junction silicon solar cell.
Oxford PV recently produced a 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon two-terminal tandem solar cell with a verified conversion efficiency of 25.2%, through an ongoing collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics Device Group at the University of Oxford, led by Professor Snaith.
Oxford PV and HZB develop a simplified perovskite tandem solar cell
Oxford Photovoltaics, in collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics Device Group at the University of Oxford, produced a 1 cm2 perovskite-silicon two-terminal tandem solar cell with a verified conversion efficiency of 25.2%. The two-terminal tandem solar cell efficiency was certified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.
Dr Chris Case, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford PV commented, 'The unique, optically enhanced architecture developed as part of this collaboration, minimizes losses, and has helped us achieve this record setting efficiency'.
EU establishes the MAESTRO project - a €4 million program for perovskite solar materials research
The European Commission has established a new research training network, led by the University of Bath, to make perovskites "truly exploitable" and make perovskite-based devices commercially viable. The new program, called MAESTRO, has been given â¬4 million in funding and has begun hiring researchers to gain new knowledge and provide innovation in the exploitation of perovskite materials.
A trans-European project, MAESTRO is an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary network of 10 academic and seven industrial partners from nine EU and EU-Associated countries: the UK, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Israel and Switzerland.