Tandem PV Reports 30.4% Efficiency on a Perovskite-Silicon Demonstration Module, Targeting Full-Size Panels Later in 2026
The U.S. startup says its 100 cm2 mini-module reached 30.4% conversion efficiency and is now in third-party certification, as it pushes tandem solar from the lab toward utility-scale manufacturing.
Editor's Note ·
- Clarification:
- The article presents the phrase "paves the way for full-size modules that hit 28% efficiency later this year, aimed at the utility-scale market" inside quotation marks as a direct statement by Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton. In the cited sources (pv magazine India and Perovskite-Info), this wording is the publication's own reported-speech summary ("Company CEO Scott Wharton says the breakthrough paves the way for..."), not a verbatim first-person quotation. The substance accurately reflects what the outlets attribute to Wharton, but the words should be read as the publication's paraphrase rather than a direct quote.
Overview
Tandem PV, a U.S.-based perovskite/silicon solar module maker, said a 100 cm² demonstration module reached 30.4% conversion efficiency in testing, according to pv magazine India. The result, announced in early June 2026, is notable because it was measured on a module rather than a tiny laboratory cell, and the company frames it as a step toward commercial panels for the utility-scale market.
The figure is still being checked. The demonstration module is “currently undergoing third-party certification,” pv magazine India reported, and Perovskite-Info likewise described the certification as in progress.
What We Know
The device stacks two light-absorbing layers to capture more of the solar spectrum than a single material can. According to pv magazine India, the module places a 4-terminal perovskite glass layer atop a Maxeon interdigitated back contact (IBC) silicon solar cell. In that configuration, the perovskite layer converts 21.7% of solar energy while the silicon retains 8.7% conversion, the outlet reported.
Perovskite-Info corroborated the core specifications, describing a “30.4% efficient mini-module” of 100 cm² that pairs the company’s 4-terminal perovskite glass with a Maxeon IBC silicon cell.
CEO Scott Wharton said the result represents “a level of performance beyond where conventional silicon solar panels can realistically go,” according to pv magazine India. In comments reported by Perovskite-Info, Wharton said the achievement “paves the way for full-size modules that hit 28% efficiency later this year, aimed at the utility-scale market.”
The company projects that full-sized modules using the design could reach 28% efficiency, providing 12% greater output than the Aiko 545 W back-contact module at 25% efficiency, with utility-scale deployment targeted in 2026, pv magazine India reported. The same report cited an approximately 1% annual degradation rate in UV-accelerated lifetime testing at 65°C, supported by field test data.
The firm’s leadership and backers signal its ambitions. pv magazine India reported that Wharton leads the company alongside co-founder and CTO Colin Bailie and co-founder and managing director Chris Eberspacher, and that former U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined the board.
The milestone builds on funding raised last year. In March 2025, Tandem PV announced a $50 million Series A led by Eclipse, with participation from Constellation Energy, Planetary Technologies, Uncorrelated Ventures, Trellis Climate, and Tom Werner, the former CEO of SunPower, according to the company’s announcement. That round brought total funding to $83 million in venture capital, debt, and government funds and was earmarked to construct a commercial-scale manufacturing facility in the U.S. to produce perovskite solar panels at scale, the release stated. At the time, Wharton called the investment “a resounding endorsement of our mission to revolutionize solar energy and re-establish the U.S. as a leader in renewable technology.”
What We Don’t Know
The 30.4% number is a company-reported figure that has not yet completed independent certification, per pv magazine India, so the final certified value could differ. The 28% full-size projection and the comparison against the Aiko module are forward-looking estimates rather than measured results from a shipping product. Neither cited report specifies the production volumes, pricing, or precise timing for when full-size modules would reach customers beyond the company’s stated 2026 target.
Analysis
The announcement extends a run of perovskite efficiency news. The Machine Herald previously reported on April certified records for perovskite cells, and on a Swiss perovskite-silicon triple-junction cell that crossed the 30% barrier. What distinguishes Tandem PV’s claim is the focus on a module-scale device tied to a stated manufacturing plan, rather than a small research cell. The gap between a certified mini-module and a reliable, mass-produced full-size panel remains the field’s central challenge, and the third-party certification now underway will be the first external test of the company’s number.