"Solar power has changed the future of renewable energy. Photovoltaic technology has paved the way for cheaper and cleaner electricity, and the UK now has the capacity to power 100 million LED bulbs at a time," writes Professor Joe Briscoe, Professor of Energy Materials and Devices.
Solar cells, one of the first widely used methods of generating renewable energy, are becoming more and more efficient. Thanks to innovations in silicon technology, the leading material in solar cell production, more than 23% of solar energy can now be converted into electricity. However, as the demand for electricity grows rapidly, we are reaching the limit of the efficiency of silicon energy conversion.
So how can we improve solar power in the future?
My team and I are exploring how new manufacturing technologies will allow us to produce a new type of solar cell from perovskite, a crystallized organic-inorganic hybrid compound.
Our research will help improve and improve the production and operation of perovskite solar technology. Thanks to a new spray treatment, we can make these new solar panels a more affordable and efficient option, helping solar power continue to grow in renewable energy across the UK.
Efficiency problem
As a traditional solar panel material, silicon makes up 90% of the solar cells used today. However, as the maximum theoretical efficiency limit is approached, improving these cells from their current efficiency becomes very difficult.
This is where peravskite comes into play. It is a combination of lead, hydrogen and organic molecules. When working with silicone, only 100-150 degrees Celsius compared to 100-150 degrees Celsius can be formed from a chemical solution and then annealing (heating and slow cooling). This reduces production costs and facilitates the process.
Perovskite solar cells were originally smaller than silicon, but have been greatly improved and now have more than 25% solar energy conversion efficiency, compared to the best small area silicon cells.
However, problems still remain. The process of producing perovskite from solution at low temperatures results in a large number of defects, especially when produced over large areas. The cells themselves are prone to decay when exposed to moisture and oxygen, which greatly limits the commercial use of perovskites.
Addressing these issues is critical to the development of perovskites as a commercially competitive technology and will require innovative production methods.
Develop a new processing method
To overcome these obstacles and find new ways to generate solar energy, my team and I investigated a new technique known as solvent aerosol processing. This method involves passing an aerosol over a controlled surface before passing through a reactor containing a heated perovskite sample.
Aerosol solution, in our case dimethyl formamide (DMF) solution alone or with methyl ammonium chloride (MACI), significantly increases the grain growth of perovskite cells, reduces local defects and improves overall uniformity. The process itself takes no more than five minutes, and some perovskites allow direct thermal annealing at low temperatures (100 degrees Celsius).
Perovskite-treated cells show significant improvements in performance, increased efficiency, and stability in a variety of compositions, device configurations, and applications. This makes these cells more accessible and easier to mass produce.
Additionally, this process broadens their applicability to photosensors, resulting in improved low-light photoresponse, making them nearly twice as effective in low-light conditions, which is critical for photosensors and cells. This means that perovskite cells not only improve existing technologies, but also offer exciting new ways to generate solar energy.
Increased efficiency.
The applications of this advanced technology are numerous. Aerosol-modified perovskite cells can be printed on plastic films, allowing them to be used in new ways, such as home, self-contained consumer electronics, garages, building exteriors and integration into electric vehicles.
In addition, there is another important advantage of perovskite materials: their chemical composition can be changed to "adjust" the color of the light they emit. This means that perovskites can be made to absorb the blue end of radiation, where most of the energy loss occurs in silicon solar cells and transmits red and infrared light. They can then be stacked on top of the silicon cells in a "tandem" pattern, which increases the overall efficiency of solar panels by about 30%.
Compared to silicon alone, this represents a significant advance, meaning efficiencies of over 30% may be achieved in the future. Therefore, these tandem solar panels allow you to significantly increase the power generated by solar modules with minimal additional costs.
A new perspective on solar energy
Looking to the future, our team is conducting further experiments to assess the long-term effectiveness of this process and its scope for commercial applications. Our goal is to optimize the process of aerosol liquids in a large-scale reactor, paving the way for the development of cost-effective, lightweight and flexible solar cells on a commercial scale.
In line with our commitment to making a real impact, my team also supported a spin-off company, Aerosolar, which received £50,000 from Innovate UK to build a full-scale reactor, which is now complete and undergoing testing. We are actively working with perovskite solar cell manufacturers and investors to determine the impact of these new use cases.
The perovskite solar cell market was It is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2033, demonstrating the enormous potential of our research to shape the future of solar energy.
The potential of this new manufacturing method is huge: these new innovations mean that low-cost and highly efficient solar power will further support the development of sustainable renewable energy.
Courtesy of Queen Mary University of London.
Citation: Perovskite Technology: Shining the Future of Affordable Solar Energy (2023, December 11), Retrieved December 12, 2023, from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/463768618/perovskite-technology-shining-the-focus- in -future-of-aff.html
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