U.S. perovskite company Tandem PV has acquired nexTC, an Oregon-based developer of advanced thin-film metal oxide coating processes.
The acquisition brings nexTC’s coating technology, intellectual property and technical expertise into Tandem PV, giving the company greater control over a critical coating process as it ramps its California demonstration line and prepares for commercial-scale production.
Founded in 2018 as a spinout from an NSF-funded research center at Oregon State University, nexTC specializes in solution-based transparent oxide coatings. In tandem solar panels, these ultrathin layers modify charge transport while allowing sunlight to reach the silicon cell below. Their performance is important to module efficiency, durability and manufacturability. nexTC founder and CEO Cory Perkins, Ph.D., will join Tandem PV as part of the acquisition.
“We’ve worked with Cory for years and know firsthand the value of his expertise in oxide thin-films, which are critical to building durable, high-performing perovskite modules,” said Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV. “Bringing Cory’s expertise and nexTC’s technology into Tandem gives us greater control over a core part of the manufacturing process and allows us to optimize it directly on our production line as we scale.”
Tandem PV’s demonstration factory houses a production line with approximately 40 MW of annual nameplate capacity and is producing large-format tandem solar panels for customer validation and market trials.
“After collaborating with Tandem PV on several projects, I saw a team that combines strong science with the ability to move technology onto a manufacturing line,” Perkins said. “Joining Tandem gives us the opportunity to integrate nexTC’s coating technology directly into a manufacturing platform advancing toward commercial-scale production.”
Tandem PV’s technology combines a thin perovskite light-absorbing layer with conventional silicon so that each material captures a different part of the solar spectrum. The tandem design enables panels to generate more electricity from the same area, reducing the land, labor and infrastructure required to deploy each watt of solar power.
News item from Tandem PV