Qcells says it has become the first company to certify silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells and modules to the UL 61215 and IEC 61215 standards, with testing carried out by TÜV Rheinland, PV Tech reports.
Key facts
- Technology: a two-terminal tandem design pairing a Q.ANTUM PERC silicon bottom cell with a perovskite top layer on full-area M10 substrates
- Certified to UL 61215 and IEC 61215 by TÜV Rheinland — Qcells says it is the first company to reach this bar for tandem tech
- Built on a pilot production line in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany, using mass-production cell and module fabrication processes
- Fabian Fertig, head of tandem R&D at Qcells Germany: "Hitting these milestones means we are getting closer to bringing a product to market that is reliable, saves money and works better"
Why it matters
Reliability certification, not lab efficiency records, is what makes a new solar technology bankable: lenders, insurers and utility offtakers need UL/IEC sign-off before a module can go into a financed project. Perovskite-silicon tandems have chased efficiency records for years — this comes just days after LONGi reported a 35.5% tandem cell efficiency — but certification has lagged behind the lab. Qcells reaching UL/IEC first suggests the industry's leading tandem developers are now racing on manufacturability and bankability, not just efficiency, which is the real gate to commercial volume.
For the supply chain, a pilot line already running "mass-production processes" in Germany signals Qcells intends tandem as a near-term product line, not a lab curiosity — worth watching for module makers, EPCs and installers evaluating next-generation panel roadmaps.
Sources
- PV Tech coverage - July 17, 2026
SolarXList summary based on publicly available industry sources checked on July 18, 2026.