Qcells Becomes the First Company to Achieve UL and IEC Certification by TÜV Rheinland on Next Generation Solar Technology

Qcells, a premier provider of complete energy solutions and global solar energy market leader, announced being the first company to receive a certification from TÜV Rheinland -- a leading global independent testing, inspection, and certification organization headquartered in Cologne, Germany -- confirming Qcells’ tandem technology has met standards set by UL Standards & Engagement (UL) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on solar panel technology. This reinforces Qcells’ leadership in advancing tandem technology towards real-world, commercial deployment.

“Solar is already cutting energy costs and delivering reliable power to communities around the world, but imagine what this technology could do if it became even cheaper, more efficient, and faster,” said Fabian Fertig, Head of Tandem R&D for Qcells Germany. “Hitting these milestones means we are getting closer to bringing a product to market that is reliable, saves money, and works better. We at Qcells are proud to be a leader in making this possible.”

Tandem technology, which pairs perovskite cells with standard silicon cells, has long shown promise in laboratory settings for improving overall efficiency. It has demonstrated the potential to further reduce the cost of solar energy – which is already the most affordable form of new electricity generation on the planet. Becoming the first company to receive certifications meeting both the IEC and UL 61215 criteria for its tandem modules is proof that Qcells is getting closer to delivering a product that meets stability and standardization measures critical to determining if a product is commercially ready. These certifications are required when determining whether a solar panel is reliable and bankable. This achievement means that these products can withstand incredible stress without dropping in power output beyond the threshold set by these standards. All of these milestones combined demonstrate that Qcells’ tandem technology can now meet the performance benchmarks needed to bring this technology to the masses.

About the Technology

Qcells’ tandem cell technology features a 2-terminal device architecture, which is composed of a perovskite technology top layer and silicon bottom layer featuring Qcells’ proprietary Q.ANTUM technology. The core of this latest achievement by Qcells involves successfully passing the type approval and safety testing sequences outlined in International Standards IEC 61215-2:2021 and UL 61215-2:2021, along with Standards IEC 61730-2:2023 and UL 61730-2:2022. These stress tests have been successfully passed by fulfilling the tandem-specific requirements for power measurements as specified in International Standard IEC TS 60904-1-1 for multi-junction modules.

The tested cells and modules were fabricated using Qcells’ tandem R&D pilot line in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany, by incorporating tandem solar cells on full-area M10 substrates and applying exclusively mass-production processes for cell and module fabrication.

The Bitterfeld-Wolfen R&D Center in Germany is supported by funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the European Union, including the light-house project PEPPERONI, along with the Swiss government. Qcells’ Pangyo R&D center, appointed as a research institute for national projects, has received ongoing support from the Korean government to develop commercially viable tandem cell technology.

Qcells | https://qcells.com/us/