Indoor solar

Researchers at Korea University, Kyungpook National University, Hanyang University, Dongguk University and Mississippi State University have used a novel ligand passivation strategy in perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) photovoltaics (PQDPVs) to enhance the carrier lifetime. 

The advancement of perovskite photovoltaic (PePV) systems for harnessing indoor light energy has been accelerated by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT). However, the commercialization of these systems is impeded by moisture instability and restricted carrier lifetimes. Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) offer viable solutions for increasing stability despite the potential effects of their organic ligands on efficiency. 

Solaires Entreprises, a cleantech startup that develops high power conversion efficiency photovoltaic modules, has announced a Joint Venture with Genesis Technologies, a Shanghai based manufacturer. The companies will be working towards mass production of PV modules to replace batteries in indoor electronic devices, as the JV's first phase.

Solaires will provide the technology and Genesis will provide manufacturing as part of the Joint Venture. Genesis Technologies has committed to investing more than $4 Million USD to develop Solaires’ manufacturing site through purchasing production line equipment, carrying out personnel training and executing daily operations for the Joint Venture.

Switzerland-based Perovskia recently announced it is establishing a factory in Aubonne, Switzerland, to produce a million custom-designed perovskite devices annually. 

Perovskia is a spinoff of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). It was founded to develop the market for customized perovskite solar devices as battery replacements. 

Canada-based Solaires Entreprises, developer of sustainable and scalable perovskite-based photovoltaic modules, has announced the launch of its first
production line. 

Solaires deployed its fully functional pilot production line where it will be producing PV modules for customers. The pilot production line is located in Langford, BC, Canada.

The perovskite solar industry is emerging and becoming a vibrant industry, with dozens of companies that are developing and starting to produce perovskite-based and perovskite-enhanced solar panels, for many applications.

While the industry is still at an early stage, we can see that almost half (43%) of the active perovskite developers are focused on solutions for outdoor applications – mainly roof top and utility scale applications – for generating electricity on a large scale, a replacement for current silicon-based solutions. While this is a challenging area (requires low cost, high performance and very high stability), the size of this market is large and proven. Perovskite has some inherent advantages in this area – low weight, low cost, high return on investment, high efficiency and excellent light absorption properties.

Silicon-based solar cells currently dominate the solar market. It is a proven technology, with established manufacturing processes. However, it is also quite expensive to produce, yields rigid cells and has an estimated efficiency limit of around 29%. In recent years, perovskite-based solar technologies have been drawing a lot of attention, and many academics and companies believe they are the future of the solar industry.

Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology is a photovoltaic (PV) technology based on the use of perovskite materials, mostly in the light-absorbing layers of the cell. There are many types of perovskite materials, and several processes used to deposit these materials to create efficient solar panels. PSCs have potential for creating solar panels that are easily deposited onto most surfaces, including flexible and textured ones. They can also be lightweight, cheap to produce, and more efficient than silicon-based solar cells (efficiencies in the lab have already crossed 30%). 

The major advantages of perovskite-based solar cells are factors of performance, applicability and sustainability:

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT-Mandi), the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and China's Guangxi University have designed efficient indoor bifacial perovskite photovoltaics (i-BPPVs) with the capability of harvesting maximum light from both top and bottom sides. This achievement could be a significant step towards advancing cost-effective and efficient technology for harvesting more energy from artificial indoor light sources.

The i-BPPVs were designed and fabricated in a stack of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite material amid a transparent bottom electrode (ITO), and top (Au/ITO) electrode. The fabricated i-BPPVs exhibited an efficiency of 30.3%, short circuit current density (JSC) of 148.3 µA cm⁻², open circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.93 V, and fill factor (FF) of 71.7% when artificial LED light source of 1000 lx is exposed from the top side, whereas an efficiency of 22.1%, JSC of 116.2 µA cm⁻², VOC of 0.89 V, and FF of 69.4% have been obtained from the bottom side. 

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.

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.

Graphitic materials supplier First Graphene has announced an R&D collaboration with Greatcell Energy, trading as Halocell Energy, and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to commercialize perovskite solar cell fabrication. The project has received a Cooperative Research Centers Project (CRC-P) grant worth over AUD$2 million (around $USD1,300,000).

The research and development project is intended to commercialize ultra-low-cost, flexible perovskite solar cell fabrication using Halocell’s roll-to-roll production process at the company’s Wagga Wagga plant, First Graphene said in an announcement. Through the project, First Graphene plans to develop cost-effective graphene-based electrode replacements for high-cost conductor materials, such as gold and silver, used in cell manufacturing.