Preface

It is our distinct honor to welcome you to the proceedings volume of SilicoNPV 2026. This year marks a truly historic chapter in our community’s history, as we gather for the first time under a unified banner and, for the first time, in the vibrant city of Ankara, Türkiye. Historically, and for over fifteen years, our community's annual gathering consisted of two consecutive events held back-to-back within the same week: the International Conference on Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics, followed immediately NPV Workshop. This consecutive format served us incredibly well during the developmental phases of high-efficiency technologies. However, as n-type architectures most notably TOPCon, back contact and HJT have transitioned from laboratory research to dominating global industrial capacity, the distinction between "general silicon" and "n-type" has dissolved. To reflect this new era of high-efficiency photovoltaics, we have merged these two prestigious events into a single, cohesive forum: SilicoNPV. This year’s edition marks another milestone in our community's shared journey, bringing together over 150 leading scientists, engineers, technologists, and industry experts from across the globe to discuss the latest breakthroughs, challenges, and industrial realities of silicon-based photovoltaics. Hosting this first combined SilicoNPV conference in Ankara is highly significant. As a fast-growing hub for solar manufacturing and research in the MENA and West Asia regions, Ankara provides the perfect place for discussing the scaling of next-generation technologies. The research compiled in this volume represents the very first collection under the SilicoNPV name, setting a high benchmark for the years to come. The technical program reflects the industry’s current "Golden Age" of silicon. The papers herein dive deep into the physics of carrier-selective and passivated contacts, the optimization of material quality, and the mitigation of degradation mechanisms. We would like to express our deepest gratitude and say a huge thank you to the local organizing team in Ankara, the international organizing team, the Scientific Committee, and our reviewers for their tireless work in launching SilicoNPV 2026. Most importantly, we thank the authors whose research ensures that SilicoNPV will remain the premier global platform for silicon photovoltaic innovation. We hope these proceedings serve as a helpful guide and inspire your future work in solar energy.