Scientists from the University of Toronto (U of T) have formed a triple-junction perovskite solar cell with record efficiency by providing a solution for a key restriction in prior designs.
The prototype displays a vital step forward for producing economical alternatives to silicon-based solar cells, which is the industry standard right now.
“In addition to lower manufacturing cost, perovskites offer us the ability to stack multiple layers of light-absorbing materials on top of each other, and even on top of traditional silicon cells,” explained Professor Ted Sargent, a recent collaborator from the department of chemistry as well as the department of electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern University however he maintains his lab at the U of T, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
Professor Sargent further indicated that they utilized rational design to tackle a key issue that may come up in this multi-layered paradigm which enhances the both efficiency as well as durability in this work,
The solar cells currently used are produced from a single wafer of ultra-pure silicon. This takes up a large proportion of energy when produced. When compared, perovskite solar cells are produced with the utilization of perovskite polycrystalline films, coated onto surfaces using economical, solution-processing methods similar to those utilized for the printing industry as indicated by researchers.
The variation of the make-up of the perovskite crystals inside these films, where every layer can be “tuned” to absorb various wavelengths of light, paving the way for the efficient application of the complete solar spectrum. This cannot be conducted with silicon, as it absorbs the same wavelengths every time.
