PERC Silicon Solar Cells
Solar crosses the 20% efficiency threshold.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →The commercialization of PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) technology marked a massive turning point in solar energy, pushing standard silicon panels past the 20% efficiency mark and triggering a global boom in cheap solar deployment.
Key Numbers
- Efficiency (1954)
- 6%
- Efficiency (2015 PERC)
- 20-22%
Verified Facts
- For decades, standard solar panels hovered around 14-16% efficiency. PERC technology added a special dielectric layer to the back of the cell, reflecting unabsorbed light back into the silicon for a second chance at absorption.
- This seemingly small change boosted mass-market efficiency to over 20%, drastically reducing the "levelized cost of energy" (LCOE) and making solar highly competitive with fossil fuels for the first time.
- This was the crucial stepping stone between the original 1954 6% cells and the 2025 Perovskite tandem cells.