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Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory in 2029 to make tandem solar panels that layer perovskites over silicon. The company is testing full-size panels, but long-term durability and commercial viability remain unproven.
Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory in 2029 to produce perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels, Global Chief Technology Officer Danielle Merfeld told Canary Media. The plan would put the U.S.-operating manufacturer among companies seeking to bring higher-efficiency tandem panels into mass production, although their long-term durability and commercial readiness have yet to be established.
Qcells is testing full-size tandem panels in the field, after developing the technology since 2016. The company opened a pilot research and development line in Germany in 2022, then started a 40-megawatt pilot line in South Korea in 2024 that produces full-size panels. Merfeld did not disclose the ingredients used in Qcells’ perovskite layers or provide degradation data from the field tests.
The company reported a tandem efficiency record in 2024: an independent body confirmed a conversion rate of 28.6% for a standard-size silicon cell layered with perovskites. That is a laboratory performance result, not evidence that commercial panels will maintain the rate or operate reliably over decades. Qcells also said in July that its tandem panel passed tests against solar-panel quality standards set by UL and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Those tests subject panels to calibrated physical stresses and check whether they continue producing power. They offer a durability indicator, but accelerated testing cannot yet establish a 20-year operating record for a technology that has not been in commercial service for that long. Qcells has not announced the factory’s location, construction budget, planned production start beyond its 2029 target, or expected output beyond the gigawatt-scale description.
More Power From Each Panel
Tandem panels aim to produce more electricity from the same panel area by combining silicon with a layer of perovskite, a family of materials that can be made with different ingredients. If the panels perform reliably in the field, they could help solar projects generate more power from a given rooftop or parcel of land.
Higher output per panel could also reduce the amount of space and some balance-of-system resources needed for a project, including wiring, supporting equipment, land and labor. Those potential benefits depend on panels lasting long enough and being affordable to manufacture and finance. For now, Qcells’ factory plan is a signal of industrial ambition, not proof that the technology has cleared those hurdles.
The development matters to the broader solar industry because conventional panels already convert sunlight at around 24% efficiency, according to the report, with manufacturers improving performance gradually. A commercially viable tandem product could add another route to increasing solar output as deployment expands. The size of any eventual gain will depend on manufacturing performance, product reliability and project economics.
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From Lab Records to Factory Plans
Perovskites have helped solar cells achieve high efficiency records in laboratory testing, but the materials and devices have faced a central challenge: they can degrade too quickly outdoors. Several companies, including Tandem PV, Oxford PV and Caelux, are working to commercialize tandem panels. The report said none were then mass-producing and selling panels with a commercial warranty comparable to conventional solar products.
Qcells’ approach draws on its established manufacturing operations. The company, originally German, was acquired by South Korea’s Hanwha in 2012. Merfeld told Canary Media that Qcells is focused on commercial-scale development rather than only producing small cells for research. She said the company has spent years studying how light, heat and moisture can degrade silicon cells and believes that manufacturing experience can help it address similar problems in tandem products.
Other factory plans are also emerging. Chinese company GCL said it opened a 1-gigawatt factory in Kunshan last year, according to Canary Media. In the United States, Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton told the outlet his company was targeting 2028 for construction of a gigawatt-scale factory. These plans do not by themselves show that commercial production or long-term performance has been proven; public support available to Chinese developers also makes direct comparisons difficult.
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Durability Still Needs Proof
The main open question is whether tandem panels can maintain performance through years of outdoor exposure to heat, moisture and sunlight. Qcells has reported passing accelerated quality tests and says it has installed panels at its own test sites over the past year, but it has not released field degradation data. No tandem panel has yet demonstrated more than 20 years of operation, according to the report.
It is also unclear whether Qcells will meet its 2029 factory target, where the plant will be built, how much it will cost and what volume it will produce. The company has not disclosed the composition of its perovskite material or provided a commercial warranty. Those details matter to buyers, lenders and project developers deciding whether a new panel technology can be financed at scale.
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Field Data and Factory Details
Qcells’ immediate task is to continue testing full-size panels and build confidence that they can withstand long-term use. More public information about field performance, warranties, factory location, investment and production plans would help show how close the company is to commercial deployment. The current factory milestone remains a 2029 target, not a completed project.
Industry watchers will also be looking for updates from competing developers and evidence that pilot production can translate into consistent, bankable products. Until those milestones are reported, the scale of Qcells’ planned facility signals intent; it does not settle whether tandem solar can compete with established panels on reliability and cost.
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Key Questions
What is Qcells planning to build?
Qcells plans to open a gigawatt-scale factory in 2029 to make tandem solar panels that combine silicon cells with perovskite layers. The company has not disclosed the factory’s location or construction budget.
What are tandem solar panels?
They combine silicon and perovskite layers to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. The aim is to produce more power from a panel of the same size, but long-term outdoor performance remains a key test.
Has Qcells proved its panels will last for decades?
No. Qcells says its panel passed accelerated quality testing and that it has begun field testing, but it has not released degradation data. There is no 20-year operating record for tandem panels, according to the report.
How does Qcells’ plan compare with other factory efforts?
GCL said it opened a 1-gigawatt factory in China last year, while Tandem PV has targeted 2028 to build a gigawatt-scale U.S. factory. These announcements do not alone establish that the panels are being sold at scale with conventional commercial warranties.
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