China PV giant sets new world record for tandem solar cell efficiency

Solar giant Longi has claimed a new world record of 33.9% for the efficiency of crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, beating the previous record for the technology by 0.2%.

The Longi record was reported in the latest certification report of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and surpasses the 33.7% recorded by King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in May.

The new efficiency record also breaches the theoretical limit of 33.7 per cent for the first time of standard single junction cells.

Longi notes that the new world record of 33.9% marks the first time that a Chinese company has set a new    efficiency high for crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells since 2015.

It also makes Longi a “dual champion,” in that the solar giant also holds the current world record for silicon heterojunction cell efficiency, exceeding 26.81%, after setting it in November of 2022.

Zhenguo Li, Longi founder and president of says that the continued improvements to the efficiency of crystalline silicon single-junction cells – the dominant solar cell technology taking up more than 90% of the market share – are getting closer and closer to its theoretical efficiency limit of 29.4%.

The theoretical efficiency limit of crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, however, is set much higher – at 43% – making this the most likely cadidate for next-generation high-efficiency solar cell technology.

“Longi has always been willing to devote more strength to exploring cutting-edge development technologies,” Li said in a statement on Monday.

“For a long time, we have laid out various technological routes in the R&D sector, and collaborated with multiple parties to create efficient models and collaborative innovation mechanisms.

“This not only builds the ‘moat’ of Longi, but also helps enterprises cross the industry development cycle.

“I also call on the entire industry to return to the main track of technological competition and promote China’s photovoltaic industry to continue to lead the world through continuous technological innovation.”

Hua Jiang, deputy secretary-general of China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), says the continued reduction of costs and increasing efficiency are the core of ongoing global solar development.

“Once this high-efficiency solar cell technology truly achieves mass production, it will promote a significant decrease in the cost of photovoltaic power generation compared to before, which is absolutely beneficial for promoting the growth of China and even the global photovoltaic market,” a statement says.

“The growth of the photovoltaic market will also drive the entire global energy transition.”