VIPV - Page 2

Recent reports claim that South Korea's Hyundai auto group has teamed up with a research team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) to develop new perovskite solar cells that can charge vehicles while they are under the sun. 

Hyundai Motor already released solar roofs with silicon solar panels, but their acceptance has been slow without improvements in weight and efficiency, as silicon solar cells are quite heavy and have technical limitations in improving efficiency. In a recent ceremony, the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) opened a joint laboratory with Hyundai to develop high-efficiency, large-area perovskite-silicon tandem cells and apply them to solar roofs. The joint laboratory will operate for three years until May 2025.

The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), aiming to fast-track tandem solar technology's time to market, has put two new high-performance coating plants into operation.

The systems produce tandem solar cells consisting of a perovskite solar cell that can be combined with other types of solar cells. The various layers are deposited under ultra-clean conditions. Companies in the solar sector can take advantage of these capabilities to optimize their developments in the area of tandem solar cells.

An international research group has designed a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell that reportedly shows an improved open-circuit voltage and fill factor thanks to plasmonic enhancement.

The technique is based on the enhancement of the cell's electromagnetic field through metal nanostructures, which improves the device's low optical absorption in the visible spectrum. The research team designed the tech with applications in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in mind, but it can also be suitable for automotive and smart glasses.