Establishing Technical Bankability of Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Panels through Comprehensive Durability Testing
Summary
SCH Number
2025100882
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
Establishing Technical Bankability of Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Panels through Comprehensive Durability Testing
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/20/2025
Document Description
The purpose of this Agreement is to fund comprehensive testing and validation of high-efficiency perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic panels. Efforts include outdoor durability testing, accelerated indoor assessments, and standard compliance testing to enhance technical bankability and support commercialization. Outdoor testing will occur at UC San Diego, UC Merced, Photovoltaic Evolution Labs (PVEL), and Tandem PV's facility in Fremont. All of these facilities have existing outdoor testing capabilities. Indoor testing will occur at PVEL; all indoor test capabilities already exist. The project does not include any installation of new equipment or alterations to any buildings.
Contact Information
Name
Michael Ferreira
Agency Name
California Energy Commission
Job Title
Electric Generation System Specialist I
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Colin Bailie
Agency Name
Tandem PV, Inc.
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Address
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Fremont, La Jolla, Merced, Napa
Counties
Alameda, Merced, Napa, San Diego
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Fremont/ Gateway
Other Location Info
3500 Gateway Blvd
Fremont 94538
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla 92093
388 Devlin Rd
Napa 94558
5200 N Lake Rd
Merced 95343
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15301
Reasons for Exemption
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15301 provides that projects which consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and which involve negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act. Work under this project will include: 1) outdoor field testing to establish long-term outdoor performance data for perovskite/silicon tandem modules, 2) indoor operational accelerated testing to understand the long-term behavior of perovskite/silicon tandem modules in a controlled environment under various applied stressors (e.g., light intensity, temperature, voltage), 3) standardized accelerated testing focused on evaluating the effectiveness of standardized accelerated testing in predicting both early-stage and long-term failure models for perovskite/silicon tandem modules, and 4) paper studies, modeling and laboratory research for perovskite/silicon tandem modules. All work and forms of testing including indoor and outdoor testing will occur at existing facilities with existing testing capabilities already in place. No new equipment will be installed and no alterations to any facilities will occur under this project. For these reasons, this project will have no impact on the environment and fits within section 15301.
Additionally, the project will not impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies; does not involve any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project site is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply to this project, and this project will not have a significant effect on the environment.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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