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Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory for perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels in 2029, Global Chief Technology Officer Danielle Merfeld told Canary Media. The company is testing full-size panels, but long-term durability and commercial readiness remain unproven.
Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory for perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels in 2029, the company’s Global Chief Technology Officer Danielle Merfeld told Canary Media. The plan puts the established manufacturer into a race to mass-produce panels that could generate more electricity from the same area, although their ability to withstand decades of outdoor use is not yet established.
Qcells is testing full-size tandem panels in the field and has installed them at its own test sites over the past year, Merfeld told Canary Media. The company did not provide degradation data from those tests or disclose the ingredients used in its perovskite layers. Those details matter because tandem panels must remain stable through prolonged exposure to sunlight, heat and moisture to become financeable products.
The company has worked on tandem cells since 2016. It opened a pilot research and development line in Germany in 2022, followed by a 40-megawatt pilot line in South Korea in 2024 that produces full-size panels. Qcells also reported that its tandem panel passed testing against quality standards set by UL and the International Electrotechnical Commission. Such accelerated tests subject panels to controlled stresses, but they do not amount to proof of decades of field performance.
Qcells’ reported efficiency record offers a measure of the technology’s potential: an independent body confirmed a rate of 28.6% in 2024 for a standard-size silicon cell layered with perovskites. That result is a laboratory performance measure, not a guarantee of the efficiency or lifespan of panels produced at commercial scale.
More Power From Each Panel
If tandem panels can be manufactured reliably and last in the field, they could produce more electricity from the same panel area than conventional silicon products. That could let a rooftop or solar farm generate more power without expanding its footprint, or deliver a target amount of electricity with fewer panels and less land.
Using less area may also reduce associated project needs such as wiring, supporting equipment, land and labor, though the actual savings would depend on the panels’ price, performance and durability. The planned factory is significant as a signal that Qcells is preparing for large-scale production before the technology has a long commercial track record. The announcement does not establish that the factory will open on schedule or that the panels will prove cost-competitive.
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From Lab Records to Production
Tandem cells layer perovskite materials onto silicon to capture sunlight in ways that can raise conversion efficiency beyond that of silicon alone. Lab results have set high records, but perovskite-based products have faced a central hurdle: maintaining performance outside controlled conditions. According to Canary Media, no competing developer was then mass-producing and selling tandem panels with a commercial warranty comparable to conventional solar products.
The factory plan comes amid a wider push to scale the technology. China’s GCL said it opened a 1-gigawatt factory near Shanghai the previous year, while U.S. developer Tandem PV told Canary Media it was targeting 2028 to build a gigawatt-scale factory. Differences in public support and company circumstances mean those plans are not direct evidence that the technology is ready for broad commercial use.
Qcells, founded in Germany and acquired by South Korea’s Hanwha in 2012, argues that its manufacturing experience gives it a different path from startup developers. Merfeld said the company’s work focuses on commercial-scale production rather than raising venture capital. That approach may help with manufacturing challenges, but it does not resolve the remaining questions about long-term panel performance.
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Durability and Factory Details
Long-term durability remains unproven. Tandem panels have not operated commercially for 20 years or more, and accelerated testing cannot fully establish how they will perform over that period. Qcells said its product passed industry-standard tests, but did not share its field-test degradation data or the perovskite formulation.
Qcells has not disclosed the factory’s location, cost, planned construction schedule or expected output beyond the gigawatt-scale description. The report also does not establish whether the 2029 target is backed by final investment approval, permits or confirmed financing. It remains unclear what warranties Qcells will offer or how the panels’ costs will compare with conventional modules.
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Field Results and Factory Planning
The next evidence to watch is whether Qcells’ field-test panels retain performance under outdoor conditions and whether further independent testing supports their reliability. The company’s reported standards testing provides one proof point, but longer-term operating data and warranty terms will be important to customers and lenders considering projects built with the technology.
Qcells’ stated milestone is a gigawatt-scale factory in 2029. Further announcements on the site, investment, construction timetable and production plans would clarify how firm that target is. Until those details and longer-term performance results are available, the factory remains a plan rather than evidence of commercial-scale tandem production.
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Key Questions
What does Qcells plan to build?
Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory in 2029 to make perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels, according to its global technology chief.
What is a tandem solar panel?
It combines perovskite layers with a silicon solar cell. The layers can capture sunlight in different ways, potentially producing more electricity from a panel of the same size.
Are Qcells’ tandem panels proven to last for decades?
No. Qcells has reported passing accelerated quality tests and is testing full-size panels outdoors, but decades of commercial field performance have not been established.
Where will the factory be built?
The report did not specify the factory’s location, construction cost or detailed production schedule. Qcells has described the planned facility as gigawatt-scale.
Is Qcells already mass-producing tandem panels?
Qcells operates a 40-megawatt pilot line in South Korea that produces full-size panels. The planned gigawatt-scale factory would be a larger production step; the report does not say that commercial mass production has begun.
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