News & Resources
Solar around the world
Breakthrough in new compound material to harness solar power
The use of solar energy has skyrocketed at about 20 % a year over the past 15 years, as a result of falling prices and efficiency enhancement. Just recently, a new chemical formula was discovered through which solar energy can be made more accessible and affordable to the world.
This scientific breakthrough came from Dr Yanfa Yan, Professor of Physics at the University of Toledo, who works in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab and the University of Colorado. An ultra-high efficiency material called a tandem perovskites solar cell is being developed and studied. Perovskites are compound materials with a special crystal structure formed through chemistry. This new material would replace silicon, which -- for now -- remains the solar-cell material of choice for converting the sun's light into electrical energy. According to the scientists, a tandem solar cell with just two layers of perovskites delivers high power conversion efficiency and have the potential to bring down production costs of solar panels, which is an important advance in photovoltaics.
A mix of lead and tin, perovskite films are cheap to source and fabricate. However, the lifetime of the material is still unknown. More research is needed to increase the efficiency and stability of the perovskites solar cells. The discovery of new cell materials could probably help to speed up the development of the solar industry and facilitate a wider usage of clean, efficient and affordable solar energy worldwide.
References:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190514081554.htm
This scientific breakthrough came from Dr Yanfa Yan, Professor of Physics at the University of Toledo, who works in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab and the University of Colorado. An ultra-high efficiency material called a tandem perovskites solar cell is being developed and studied. Perovskites are compound materials with a special crystal structure formed through chemistry. This new material would replace silicon, which -- for now -- remains the solar-cell material of choice for converting the sun's light into electrical energy. According to the scientists, a tandem solar cell with just two layers of perovskites delivers high power conversion efficiency and have the potential to bring down production costs of solar panels, which is an important advance in photovoltaics.
A mix of lead and tin, perovskite films are cheap to source and fabricate. However, the lifetime of the material is still unknown. More research is needed to increase the efficiency and stability of the perovskites solar cells. The discovery of new cell materials could probably help to speed up the development of the solar industry and facilitate a wider usage of clean, efficient and affordable solar energy worldwide.
References:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190514081554.htm
.png)
.png)
