Solar power world record broken in ‘really big leap’ for renewable energy

Breakthrough achieved using ‘miracle material’ perovskite

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin announced on 19 December, 2022, that they had achieved a world record tandem solar cell efficiency of 32.5 per cent (Getty Images/ iStock)

Scientists have achieved a new world record for solar cell efficiency, marking a “really big leap” forward for renewable energy.

A team from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) was able to convert 32.5 per cent of solar radiation into electrical energy using a novel tandem cell technology.

The design involved a bottom cell made of silicon – a material typically used in conventional solar panels – together with a thin top cell made of the so-called “miracle material” perovskite.