Perovskite Solar

Last updated on Mon 06/03/2023 - 15:58

What are perovskite?

Perovskites are a class of materials that share a similar structure, which display a myriad of exciting properties like superconductivity, magnetoresistance and more. These easily synthesized materials are considered the future of solar cells, as their distinctive structure makes them perfect for enabling low-cost, efficient photovoltaics. They are also predicted to play a role in next-gen electric vehicle batteries, sensors, lasers and much more.

Perovskite-image

How does the PV market look today?

In general, Photovoltaic (PV) technologies can be viewed as divided into two main categories: wafer-based PV (also called 1st generation PVs) and thin-film cell PVs. Traditional crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells (both single crystalline silicon and multi-crystalline silicon) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) cells belong to the wafer-based PVs, with c-Si cells dominating the current PV market (about 90% market share) and GaAs exhibiting the highest efficiency.

Perovskite-solar-cell

Thin-film cells normally absorb light more efficiently than silicon, allowing the use of extremely thin films. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology has been successfully commercialized, with more than 20% cell efficiency and 17.5% module efficiency record and such cells currently hold about 5% of the total market. Other commercial thin-film technologies include hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) cells, taking approximately 2% market share each today. Copper zinc tin sulphide technology has been under R&D for years and will probably require some time until actual commercialization.

What is a perovskite solar cell?

An emerging thin-film PV class is being formed, also called 3rd generation PVs, which refers to PVs using technologies that have the potential to overcome current efficiency and performance limits or are based on novel materials. This 3rd generation of PVs includes DSSC, organic photovoltaic (OPV), quantum dot (QD) PV and perovskite PV.

A perovskite solar cell is a type of solar cell which includes a perovskite structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, as the light-harvesting active layer. Perovskite materials such as methylammonium lead halides are cheap to produce and relatively simple to manufacture. Perovskites possess intrinsic properties like broad absorption spectrum, fast charge separation, long transport distance of electrons and holes, long carrier separation lifetime, and more, that make them very promising materials for solid-state solar cells.

Perovskite-solar-cell

Perovskite solar cells are, without a doubt, the rising star in the field of photovoltaics. They are causing excitement within the solar power industry with their ability to absorb light across almost all visible wavelengths, exceptional power conversion efficiencies already exceeding 20% in the lab, and relative ease of fabrication. Perovskite solar cells still face several challenge, but much work is put into facing them and some companies, are already talking about commercializing them in the near future.

What are the advantages of Perovskite solar cells?

Put simply, perovskite solar cells aim to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar energy. Perovskite PVs indeed hold promise for high efficiencies, as well as low potential material & reduced processing costs. A big advantage perovskite PVs have over conventional solar technology is that they can react to various different wavelengths of light, which lets them convert more of the sunlight that reaches them into electricity.

Moreover, they offer flexibility, semi-transparency, tailored form factors, light-weight and more. Naturally, electronics designers and researchers are certain that such characteristics will open up many more applications for solar cells.

What is holding perovskite PVs back?

Despite its great potential, perovskite solar cell technology is still in the early stages of commercialization compared with other mature solar technologies as there are a number of concerns remaining.

One problem is their overall cost (for several reasons, mainly since currently the most common electrode material in perovskite solar cells is gold), and another is that cheaper perovskite solar cells have a short lifespan. Perovskite PVs also deteriorate rapidly in the presence of moisture and the decay products attack metal electrodes. Heavy encapsulation to protect perovskite can add to the cell cost and weight. Scaling up is another issue - reported high efficiency ratings have been achieved using small cells, which is great for lab testing, but too small to be used in an actual solar panel.

A major issue is toxicity - a substance called PbI is one of the breakdown products of perovskite. This is known to be toxic and there are concerns that it may be carcinogenic (although this is still an unproven point). Also, many perovskite cells use lead, a massive pollutant. Researchers are constantly seeking substitutions, and have already made working cells using tin instead. (with efficiency at only 6%, but improvements will surely follow).

What’s next?

While major challenges indeed exist, perovskite solar cells are still touted as the PV technology of the future, and much development work and research are put into making this a reality. Scientists and companies are working towards increasing efficiency and stability, prolonging lifetime and replacing toxic materials with safer ones. Researchers are also looking at the benefits of combining perovskites with other technologies, like silicon for example, to create what is referred to as “tandem cells”.

Commercial activity in the field of perovskite PV

In September 2015, Australia-based organic PV and perovskite solar cell (PSC) developer Dyesol declared a major breakthrough in perovskite stability for solar applications. Dyesol claims to have made a significant breakthrough on small perovskite solar cells, with “meaningful numbers” of 10% efficient strip cells exhibiting less than 10% relative degradation when exposed to continuous light soaking for over 1000 hours. Dyesol was also awarded a $0.5 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to commercialize an innovative, very high efficiency perovskite solar cell.

Also in 2015, Saule Technologies signed an investment deal with Hideo Sawada, a Japanese investment company. Saule aims to combine perovskite solar cells with other currently available products, and this investment agreement came only a year after the company was launched.

In October 2020, Saule launched sunbreaker lamellas equipped with perovskite solar cells. The product is planned to soon be marketed across across Europe and potentially go global after that.

In August 2020, reports out of China suggested that a perovskite photovoltaic cell production line has gone into production in Quzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 40-hectare factory was reportedly funded by Microquanta Semiconductor and expected to produce more than 200,000 square meters of photovoltaic glass before the end of 2020.

In September 2020, Oxford PV's Professor Henry Snaith stated that the Company's perovskite-based solar cells are scheduled to go on sale next year, probably by mid 2021. These will be perovskite solar cells integrated with standard silicon solar cells.

 

The latest perovskite solar news:

Researchers evaluate the design and performance of a lead-free Cs2TiX6-based heterostructure perovskite solar cell

Researchers from Southeast University in Bangaladesh and U.S-based Rochester Institute of Technology have examined the performance of a lead-free Cs2TiX6-based n–i–p type heterostructure perovskite solar cell design, performed using a one-dimensional device simulator, also known as the SCAPS-1D. 

The design makes use of Cs2TiCl6 as an n-type front absorber, Cs2TiI6 as an I (intrinsic)-layer absorber and Cs2TiBr6 as a p-type absorber. NiO (p) and ZnO (n) are utilized as the hole transport material and electron transport material. The fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) acts as a front contact, conductive oxide, while Pt (platinum) is used as the back contact. 

Read the full story Posted: Sep 27,2023

Researchers develop coating for improved wettability and enhanced carrier lifetimes in perovskite solar cells

Researchers from the University of Surrey, the University of Warwick and the University of New South Wales have reported a nanoscale “ink” coating of aluminum oxide on metal halide perovskite, that stabilizes the drop in energy output that presently plagues perovskite technology.

"In the past, metal oxides have been shown to either benefit or degrade the performance of perovskite solar cells. We’ve identified aluminum oxide which can improve performance and minimize the drop in efficiency during conditioning of perovskite solar cells", said Hashini Perera, Study Lead Author, University of Surrey.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 23,2023

Caelux partners with University of New South Wales on improving perovskite solar characterization and inspection methods

Caelux has announced its partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW, Sydney, Australia) ACDC Research Group on the ARENA-funded project, 'High-Throughput Inspection Methods for High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells.' This solar cells project will aim to improve the commercial readiness of solar PV technologies and enable the next generation of solar innovation.

The Artificial Intelligence, Characterization, Defects, and Contacts (ACDC) Research Group at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a leader in photovoltaic luminescence imaging and applied machine learning (ML). This project aims to develop novel, contactless methods to characterize perovskite solar cells during process development and inline manufacturing, which will improve production yields and device performance, while taking into consideration the differences between silicon and perovskites. This collaboration will also undertake commercialization activities including: testing the techniques on pilot production lines and techno-economic analysis of the potential market for the developed inspection tools.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 20,2023

Fraunhofer team develops promising perovskite-based triple-junction solar cell

A research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has reported a perovskite/perovskite/silicon triple-junction solar cell with an open circuit voltage of >2.8 V, which is said to be the record value reported for this structure so far. The Fraunhofer team showed that perovskite-perovskite-silicon subcells can hold considerable promise and have an even greater efficiency potential than double-junction tandem cells.

The triple-junction solar cell was developed as part of the Triumph research project funded by the European Commission and the RIESEN research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. This achievement confirms that the cell has excellent material properties for generating electricity, leading the scientists to deduce that it has an efficient solar cell architecture.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 18,2023

Q&A with Yanek Hebting, General Manager at Greatcell Solar materials

Australia-based Greatcell Solar Materials produces and supplies perovskite materials, and is one of the industry's pioneer companies. We conducted an interviw with Dr. Yanek Hebting, Greatcell's general manager, who updates us on the company's business, material and his views on the perovskite industry.

Hello Dr. Hebting, Thank you for this Q&A. Can you introduce us to Greatcell Solar Materials?

Greatcell Solar Materials Pty Ltd was created in October 2018 as the spin-off of the Materials Division of Greatcell Solar, formerly Dyesol. Greatcell Solar Materials is a manufacturer and supplier of materials (including perovskite precursors, dyes, ligands, titania pastes, electrolytes as well as components) for energy system applications to the photovoltaics research sector and the electronics industry.

All products are manufactured and shipped from our facility in Queanbeyan, NSW Australia.

Can you tell us a bit about the demand for perovskite materials? Does it come mostly for research, or pilot lines?

As COVID restrictions around the world have eased and global activity resumed, the demand for perovskite materials has significantly increased since.
Greatcell Solar Materials provides both bulk quantities for industrial partners as well as small quantities for research purposes. The demand for research purpose will always be a part of the demand, it is exciting to see some pilot lines take fruition and begin the process of commercialization.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 18,2023

Researchers develop printable mesoscopic carbon perovskite solar cell with 17.13% efficiency

Researchers from the East China University of Science and Technology have developed a new manufacturing process to fabricate printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs). The scientists report that the new technique is able to overcome the typical challenges posed by this cell technology, namely their interfacial passivation and layered assembly.

Mesoscopic PV devices are commonly designed with an absorber layer that can be conducted by a solution-based approach and non-vacuum processing, which makes their production costs relatively lower than those of conventional solar cells. Using organic-inorganic layer structured perovskites has recently enabled scientists across to world to reach efficiencies of over 10%.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 16,2023

Ergis readies a novel encapsulation film for perovskite solar panels

This is a sponsored post by Ergis Group

In 2020, Poland-based Ergis Group launched the noDiffusion film platform, a high-barrier film that offers high level of optical transmittance and low level of light scattering, and the ability to contain transparent conductive electrodes. The new technologies adopted in the production of the barrier films offer a combination of high performance and competitive pricing.

Ergis noDiffusion structure

Following years of R&D, Ergis is ready to enter production with its first-gen barrier films, produced using sputtering in a roll-to-roll (R2R) configuration. The company reports performance of around 10-4 wtr performance for its barrier. This is referred to as a "light-barrier" and one that is more than enough for the encapsulation of perovskite materials. The company collaborated with Poland-based Saule Technologies to develop this specific film. Ergis is now shipping barrier film samples to its customers.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 14,2023

Researchers identify the best combination of stressors for testing perovskite solar cells

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Toledo have found that perovskite solar cells should be subjected to a combination of stress tests simultaneously to best predict how they will function outdoors.

The team used a state-of-the-art p-i-n PSC stack (with PCE up to ~25.5%) to show that indoor accelerated stability tests can predict 6-month outdoor aging tests. Device degradation rates under illumination and at elevated temperatures are most instructive for understanding outdoor device reliability. The team also found that the indium tin oxide (ITO)/self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based hole transport layer (HTL)/perovskite interface most strongly affects the device operation stability. Improving the ion-blocking properties of the SAM HTL increases averaged device operational stability at 50°C–85°C by a factor of ~2.8, reaching over 1000 h at 85°C and to near 8200 h at 50°C with a projected 20% degradation, which is among the best to date for high-efficiency p-i-n PSCs.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 13,2023

Researchers design efficient inverted perovskite solar cell based on methyl-substituted carbazole HTL

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Germany's Helmholtz Young Investigator Group FRONTRUNNER IEK5-Photovoltaik have designed an inverted perovskite solar device that uses a self-assembled monolayer to suppress nonradiative recombination at the interface between the perovskite absorber and the hole transport layer. The team reported high efficiency for the cell and say it was also able to retain the initial efficiency rating for 3,000 h.

The inverted perovskite solar cell was based on a hole transport layer (HTL) made of a phosphonic acid called methyl-substituted carbazole (Me-4PACz).

Read the full story Posted: Sep 08,2023