Lifecycle research study of perovskites discovers lower environmental effect than silicon modules

• Perovskite-on-silicon PV modules are much more ecologically helpful than conventional silicon heterojunction (HJT) modules over a 25-year lifetime, according to a research study from researchers in Germany.

Assessing perovskite-on-silicon modules throughout categories such as global warming potential, water consumption, poisoning as well as steels use, the group researched the products as well as energy input for a module's 'cradle to entrance' lifecycle, covering input for wafer manufacturing, manufacture of the perovskite cell and module production.

They evaluated up the environmental impact of the perovskite tandem module against the electrical energy generated over its lifetime. While they discovered the total environmental impact of the perovskite-on-silicon tandem module to be greater than the HJT module because of extra process steps, this is countered by higher efficiencies.

"We located that the perovskite-on-silicon module has 6% to 18% much less environmental impact than a silicon module when we take into consideration the additional energy produced over the tandem module's 25-year lifetime," said Martin Roffeis, co-author from The Technical University of Berlin.

While lifecycle assessments of perovskite-on-silicon PV modules have until now relied greatly on data from laboratory and test centers instead of manufacturers, the scientists analyzed the ecological efficiency of industrially created modules utilizing data from an Oxford PV manufacturing line in Germany.

Titled 'New insights right into the environmental performance of perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells-- a life cycle assessment of industrially made modules', the study is the first lifecycle assessment utilizing market main data, according to the scientists.

Perovskite-on-silicon solar modern technology is based upon a tandem system where a perovskite cell is deposited on top of a silicon cell, increasing power generation.

Scientists at EPFL's Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory as well as CSEM's Sustainable Energy Centre last week asserted two globe records for perovskite-on-silicon cells as they reached a power conversion efficiency of 31.25%.

The tandem module utilized in the current study would produce the exact same quantity of electrical power in 22 years as the referenced silicon HJT module over 25 years.

"The higher power conversion efficiency of the perovskite-on-silicon tandem module makes up for its environmental influence due to the added perovskite material as well as procedures," said Jan-Christoph Goldschmidt, co-author that executed the research study while at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and who is now at The Philipps University of Marburg.

One more research study released previously this month by a group at the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered thin-film modern technologies such as perovskites and cadmium telluride can considerably decrease the carbon strength of PV compared to silicon alternatives.