en.Wedoany.com Reported - An international research team led by Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia has published the 68th edition of the "Solar Cell Efficiency Tables" in the journal Joule. Green told pv magazine that this edition will be released as an open-access publication in the July 2026 issue, continuing the semi-annual schedule in the regular January and July issues of Joule. The authors are excited about the broader audience access and the ongoing growth of the photovoltaic community.
The 68th edition reports 21 new results. Two of the most notable are new records for large-area silicon cells and modules: a 140 cm² cell manufactured by Longi achieved an efficiency of 28.1%, and a 1.9 m² encapsulated module reached 26.4%. Both records were measured under shaded conditions, which block the edges of the cells and modules. Green emphasized that for modules, shading avoids artificial reductions in the insulation area of the frame or frame strength; for cells, shading allows for more direct comparisons with other technologies. However, when comparing with silicon cells manufactured using different methods, non-shaded "total area" measurements are more appropriate. Another Longi cell achieved an efficiency of 27.8% under non-shaded measurement, which is also a new record for such "total area" measurements.
Another interesting new result is a lead halide perovskite cell of extremely small size (0.05 cm²) manufactured by Hainan University, achieving an efficiency of 28.0%—the smallest cell size ever included in the tables. Although its area is over 2,500 times smaller than the best silicon cells, its performance is approaching them. However, perovskite module efficiencies still lag far behind silicon modules: a 0.72 m² module manufactured by RenShine Solar achieved an efficiency of 19.3%, while another module, produced in collaboration between RenShine Solar and Nanjing University, reached 22.1%.
Significant progress has also been made in perovskite-silicon tandem cells and modules. Longi's small cells (1 cm²) and larger cells (261 cm²) saw efficiencies rise to 35.2% and 34.3%, respectively, while small modules (0.17 m²) and large modules (1.7 m²) achieved efficiencies of 31.4% and 29.4%, respectively. Additionally, a 0.08 m² GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction tandem module, manufactured by the Fraunhofer Institute in collaboration with Azur Space and temicon, achieved an efficiency of 34.4%, setting a new record for any non-concentrator module.
The 67th edition of the tables showcased 17 new results, including Longi's interdigitated back contact (IBC) device with an efficiency of 27.9%. The 66th edition featured 21 new results, including Longi's hybrid interdigitated back contact (HIBC) crystalline silicon solar cell efficiency record of 27.81%. Since the first publication in 1993, the group has observed significant improvements across all cell categories. The team includes scientists from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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