News: Photovoltaics
15 June 2026
Fraunhofer ISE raises its solar module efficiency record to 34.4%
In early 2026, a team at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE of Freiburg, Germany working on the project Vorfahrt (Cost Reduction of III–V Cells and Modules for Aircraft and Vehicle Applications) fabricated an 833cm2 photovoltaic (PV) solar module with record energy conversion efficiency of 34.2%. The module consists of triple III–V germanium solar cells originally optimized for space applications, which project coordinator AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH of Heilbronn, Germany further developed by adapting them to the terrestrial solar spectrum, enabling them to be produced in comparable quantities and on the same wafer formats.
Now, just a few months later, Fraunhofer ISE has raised its own module efficiency record to 34.4%. The III–V germanium PV module’s solar cells were again developed by AZUR SPACE Solar Power, while the anti-reflective coatings on the front glass were provided by temicon GmbH.
The improvement was made by optimizing the interconnection of the solar cells using shingle-matrix technology. For several years, Fraunhofer ISE has been collaborating with a German mechanical engineering partner to develop the interconnection of solar cells using shingle-matrix technology, which is also used in commercial modules manufactured in Germany. The shingle-matrix approach represents a fundamental departure from traditional photovoltaic module construction, in which solar cells are cut into narrow strips and then arranged in a shingle-like pattern — overlapping and offset from one another — and connected using electrically conductive adhesives (ECA).
Picture: III-V-Module-34-4-percent-efficiency-web.jpg III–V germanium PV module with record efficiency of 34.4%. © Fraunhofer ISE/Photo: Daniel von Kutzleben.
This architecture enables direct cell-to-cell contact, eliminating the need for traditional solder-coated copper ribbons. By eliminating cell interconnects, no active cell area is shaded. The resulting exceptionally high area utilization was a key factor in achieving the record efficiency.
The new PV module can be seen in Fraunhofer ISE’s booth A1.440 at the Intersolar 2026 exhibition (part of The Smarter E) in Munich, Germany (23–25 June).
Fraunhofer ISE achieves record efficiencies for tandem photovoltaic modules
