Research team sets new effectiveness record for solar cell technology

• A group of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set a new record in the power conversion effectiveness of solar cells made using perovskite and also organic materials. This technological innovation paves the way for flexible, light-weight, low cost as well as ultra-thin photovoltaic cells which are excellent for powering lorries, watercrafts, blinds and also various other applications.

" Technologies for clean and renewable resource are incredibly vital for carbon decrease. Solar cells that straight convert solar energy right into electrical power are amongst one of the most promising clean energy technologies. High power conversion efficiency of solar cells is critical for generating more electrical power making use of a restricted area as well as this, in turn, decreases the overall price of creating solar energy," discussed lead researcher Presidential Young Professor Hou Yi, that is from the NUS Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and likewise leading a "Perovskite-based Multi-junction Solar Cells group" at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore at NUS.

" The major inspiration of this research study is to improve the power conversion efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. In our most current work, we have demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 23.6%-- this is the most effective performance for this sort of solar cells to date," included Dr. Chen Wei, Research Fellow at the NUS Department of Chemical and also Biomolecular Engineering and the initial writer of this work.

This achievement is considerable leap from the current power conversion rate of about 20% reported by various other studies on perovskite/organic tandem solar cells, and also is approaching the power conversion rate of 26.7% of silicon solar cells, which is the controling solar technology in the present solar photovoltaic (PV) market.

This technology was released in Nature Energy on 20 January 2022. The research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the University of Hong Kong as well as Southern University of Science and Technology.

New fads in the solar globe

Solar cell technology has attained tremendous development in the last few years as a lasting energy source.The reliability, effectiveness, resilience, and cost of solar cells have an important effect on the commercial potential as well as large-scale application of solar energy projects all over the world.

The conventional solar cellsbeing made use of in solarpower plants are based on a single-junction style. The practical power conversion effectiveness of single-junction solar cells is limited to about 27% in industrial production. To push the frontiers of solar energy manufacturing will certainly need unique options for solar cells to perform much better in power conversion.

In order to increase the power conversion performance of solar cells to surpass 30%, heaps of 2 or more absorber layers (multi-junction cells) are needed. Tandem solar cells, which are made using 2 various sorts of solar materials, is a warm location of research.

In their newest project, Assistant Professor Hou as well as his group damage new ground in the field of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. Their exploration opens the door to thin-film tandem solar cells that are light and bendable, which could have comprehensive applications.

Innovation in power conversion performance

A tandem solar cell makes up 2 or more subcells electrically attached utilizing adjoining layers (ICLs). The ICL plays a vital function in determining the performance and reproducibility of a device. An efficient ICL ought to be chemically inert, electrically conductive and optically clear.

Although perovskite/organic tandem solar cells are attractive for next-generation thin-film photovoltaics, their performance drags various other sorts of tandem solar cells. To address this technical obstacle, Asst Prof Hou and also his team created a novel as well as effective ICL that minimizes voltage, optical as well as electric losses within the tandem solar cell. This advancement significantly enhances the performance of theperovskite/organic tandem solar cells, achieving a power conversion rate of 23.6%.

"Our research reveals the terrific capacity of perovskite-based tandem solar cells for future commercial application of solar technology. Structure on our brand-new exploration, we hope to further improve the efficiency of our tandem solar cells and scale up this technology," said Asst Prof Hou.