July 2017

Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have used a powerful "electron camera" to establish that light whirls atoms around in perovskites, potentially explaining the high efficiency of perovskite-based solar cell materials and providing clues for making better ones.

The scientists recorded movies that show that certain atoms in a perovskite respond to light within trillionths of a second in a very unusual manner. They explain that this may facilitate the transport of electric charges through the material and boost its efficiency.

GreatCell Solar (formerly Dyesol), has announced a $5 million AUD (almost $4 million USD) share purchase plan to raise funds to continue work on technology scale-up, testing and accreditation, equipment procurement and facilities fit-out, as well as for general working capital purposes.

Greatcell is offering eligible shareholders the opportunity to purchase fully paid ordinary shares (New Shares) at an issue price of $0.18 per New Share, which is a discount of approximately 13.5% to the volume weighted average price of Greatcell's shares on the ASX during the 5 trading days immediately prior to today. All New Shares will be quoted on ASX and will rank equally with other fully paid ordinary shares on issue.

Researchers affiliated with UNIST, the Korea Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Hanyang University have designed a cost-efficient method to produce inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with outstanding efficiency performance of 22.1% in small cells and 19.7% in 1-square-centimeter cells.

A key feature of this technology is its ability to tackle the dominating defect in perovskite-halides, which is known to decrease the photoelectric efficiency. The team's results demonstrate that careful control of the growth conditions of perovskite layers with management of deficient halide anions is essential for realizing high-efficiency thin-film PSCs based on lead-halide-perovskite absorbers.

Support from the US Department of Energy (DOE) will be given to several US-based development teams working to commercialize perovskite photovoltaics technology. In the latest round of funding awarded under its SunShot Initiative, the DOE will be giving $46.2 million in support of 48 different photovoltaics projects ' with total funding around $65 million (when private-sector contributions are included). However, SunShot funding may be prone to changes and budget cuts proposed by the new Trump administration.

The long-term target of the funding is to achieve a levelized cost of solar-generated energy of $0.03 per kilowatt-hour (for utility-scale systems) by 2030. The SunShot initiative also has interim goals for 2020 of $0.06 per kWh for utility-scale PV, and $0.09 per kWh for residential installations. The DOE estimates the current cost of residential and utility PV at $0.18 and $0.07 per kWh respectively.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Ohio, USA, recently used perovskites to explore 3D printed solar cells. Using Optomec's aerosol jet technology, the team aims to develop a more efficient and low-cost production process for harnessing solar power.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is attempting to develop a manufacturing method which automates production of the solar cells to provide a viable industrial output. To do so, the team atomized perovskite materials which can be 3D printed with the Aerosol Jet technology machine. Having coated a flat surface with the droplets, the team created a solar cell with 15.4% efficiency.

The Australia-based Greatcell (formerly known as Dyesol), has signed a non-exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JinkoSolar, according to which the Chinese headquartered solar PV manufacturer will be given access to the company's developmental perovskite solar cells (PSC), with a long term goal to establish a formal agreement to commercialize the technology and commence large scale manufacturing.

Greatcell said that the relationship had formed over months of discussion and with the close support of Nanyang Technology University (NTU), its academic research collaboration partner in Singapore.

Chinese perovskite materials startup Hangzhou Microquanta Semiconductor has reported that a 16-cm2 perovskite mini-module, certified by testing firm Newport in Montana, US has achieved a 16% conversion efficiency.

According to Microquanta, the perovskite mini-module 16% efficiency was achieved only three months after setting a prior record of 15.2%. Progress was made, primarily due to the focus on improving the deposition uniformity for large area thin films.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated that a low-temperature solution printing technique allows fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite-based solar cells with large crystals for minimizing grain boundaries. The meniscus-assisted solution printing (MASP) technique reportedly boosts power conversion efficiencies to nearly 20% by controlling crystal size and orientation.

The MASP process uses parallel plates (approximately 300 microns apart) to create a meniscus of ink containing the metal halide perovskite precursors. The bottom plate moves continuously, allowing solvent to evaporate at the meniscus edge to form crystalline perovskite. As the crystals form, fresh ink is drawn into the meniscus using the same physical process that forms a coffee ring on an absorbent surface such as paper. It was stated that the process could be scaled up to rapidly generate large areas of dense crystalline film on a variety of substrates, including flexible polymers.