Project R-16123

Exploring Carbon-Based Pastes for Silver-Free Metallization of Low-Temperature Solar Cells. (Research)

The solar photovoltaic (PV) sector has rapidly gained importance in renewable energy, with forecasts suggesting installed capacity may exceed 60 terawatts by2050. However, scaling up PV manufacturing faces challenges due to the supply of materials like silver (Ag). Ag pastes are crucial for making reliable electrical contacts incrystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, particularly in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells, which consume the most silver. The low supply of silver raises sustainability concerns for PVmanufacturing, necessitating the exploration of viable alternatives. Alternatives such as copper (Cu) is currently researched, which is promising but poses supply risks due tohigh demand in energy transition activities and a low market share in the EU. This study explores carbon-based pastes, which have been recently researched for creatingconductive charge transport layer in perovskite solar cells, for SHJ solar cell metallization using screen-printing, examining their properties and ways to mitigate challengessuch as higher electrical resistance and low viscosity compared to silver pastes, which impact electrical performance and screen-printability. A combination of characterization,analysis and techno-economic analysis will guide the selection of optimal pastes and screen-printing configurations, emphasizing sustainability and cost efficiency. Theresulting carbon strategies will be tested on SHJ and Perovskite/Silicon tandem solar cells.

01 November 2025 - 31 October 2029