Perovskite Might Be The World’s Best Solution For Next-Gen Solar Panels

Perovskite is a material that has been discovered to have the potential to replace silicon as the material for solar panels because it’s inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and easy to produce.

Perovskite solar cells are made of three layers: a bottom layer of titanium dioxide, a middle layer of perovskite crystals, and a top layer of clear conducting material. The perovskite layer is what makes the device work because it captures light and uses it to help electrons flow. This light energy is converted by the solar cell into an electric current to power homes and charge batteries.

Increasing demand for raw materials in the United States for solar cells will eventually lead to a shortage. Silicon is the main component of solar cells, and it is becoming much more expensive to produce this component. This is due to the demand for silicon from other industries, such as electronics.

In order to avoid a possible shortage in the supply of silicon, more manufacturers need to be encouraged to produce silicon-based products or turn to perovskite’s increasingly-improving solar cell capabilities for future applications.

Technology Review has an excellent discussion about perovskite’s possibly pivotal role for technology in the near future. Read more about it below.

Testing perovskite solar cells in the lab used to require a decent pair of running shoes. The materials fell apart so quickly that scientists would bolt from where they made the cells to where they tested them, trying to measure their performance before the cells degraded in their hands—usually within a couple of minutes.

Perovskites have long enchanted researchers with the promise of producing inexpensive, ultra-efficient solar cells. And now several companies are making major strides toward producing commercial perovskite solar cells at scale.

But the materials’ instability has threatened to derail their path to rooftops and power plants. Though a few companies say they’ve solved the challenge, at least well enough to bring preliminary products to market within the year, some researchers are still skeptical.

“People want me to say ‘I know for sure this is going to be stable, and it’s going to be efficient and we’re going to conquer the world,’” says Joseph Berry, who leads the perovskite research program at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “And part of me believes that, but part of me as a scientist says, ‘I don’t have the data.’”

Soaking up the sun

Perovskites are synthetic materials, inexpensive and relatively simple to produce even in large quantities. Common perovskites used in photovoltaics are typically something like methylammonium lead halide, but the perovskite family includes thousands of materials that share the same crystal structure. Coated onto a flexible base, they can produce thin-film solar cells that are light and bendable.

While several new photovoltaic materials have emerged in recent decades, none has made much of a dent in the market, which is dominated by silicon. It is found in around 95% of existing solar cells.

Some perovskite companies, like Saule Technologies in Warsaw, are trying to leave silicon behind altogether. The company, founded in 2014, developed an ink-jet printing process for manufacturing perovskite solar cells encased in a flexible plastic. A panel containing Saule’s cells is about a tenth as heavy as a silicon panel of the same size.

In May, Saule opened a factory that can produce around 40,000 square meters of panels annually. That’s enough to generate around 10 megawatts of power (some factories that produce silicon cells are hundreds of times larger). (Continue reading to learn more about Saule’s production).

You can always count on the best solar roofing and installation services in Golden, CO here at Roper Roofing and Solar. With our decades of experience and knowledge, you can always count on us to provide you with the best services. Contact us today to learn more about everything that we can do for you.