Despite being better at absorbing light than silicon, perovskite has previously proved too unstable to use within commercial solar cells
Scientists have made a discovery that could finally realize the practical potential of the so-called miracle material perovskite for solar cells.
A team from North Carolina State University said the findings pave the way for a new generation of ultra-efficient solar panels that are also lighter and more flexible than current technologies.
Perovskite has been hailed for its promise to transform everything from high-speed communications to renewable energy technologies. Its unusual properties could vastly improve the efficiency of solar energy harvesting compared to traditional silicon-based cells, however until now, researchers have been unable to realize this outside of a lab.
“This opens the door to a host of new technologies, such as flexible, lightweight solar cells, or layered solar cells – known as tandems – that can be far more efficient than the solar harvesting technology used today in so-called solar farms,” said Aram Amassian, a professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University, who was involved in the discovery.
“There’s interest in integrating perovskite materials into silicon solar cell technologies, which would improve their efficiency from 25 percent to 40 percent while also making use of existing infrastructure.”
