A team of researchers at MIT, Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Pavia has designed a perovskite-based device that combines aspects of electronics and photonics, that could lead to new kinds of computer chips or quantum qubits.

The new work involved sandwiching tiny flakes of a perovskite material in between two precisely spaced reflective surfaces. By creating these perovskite sandwiches and stimulating them with laser beams, the researchers were able to directly control the momentum of certain “quasiparticles” within the system. Known as exciton-polariton pairs, these quasiparticles are hybrids of light and matter. Being able to control this property could ultimately make it possible to read and write data to devices based on this phenomenon.

First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), a leading American solar technology company, has announced that it has further strengthened its global leadership in thin film photovoltaics (PV) by acquiring Evolar, a European developer of perovskite technology. 

The purchase price is approximately $38 million paid at closing and up to an additional $42 million to be paid subject to certain technical milestones being achieved in the future. The acquisition is expected to accelerate the development of next generation PV technology, including high efficiency tandem devices, by integrating Evolar’s know-how with First Solar’s existing research and development (R&D) streams, intellectual property portfolio, and expertise in developing and commercially scaling thin film PV.

Beijing Yaoneng Technology Co. (Auner), a Chinese developer of perovskite and crystalline silicon lamination photovoltaic technology and manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and modules, has announced that its 25cm² perovskite silicon tandem PV cell has achieved a stable conversion efficiency of 30.83% in the laboratory, which has reportedly been confirmed by China’s National Institute of Metrology.

Auner said this is a further increase by 1.26% from the 29.57% certified record achieved in February 2023 for its perovskite-silicon tandem PV cells. In addition, Auner says its large size perovskite cells are closer to meeting the mass production needs of the PV industry.

A new consortium of academic and industry partners, Tandems for Efficient and Advanced Modules using Ultrastable Perovskites, or TEAMUP, looks to help mitigate climate change by making a new generation of solar technology commercially viable.

The three-year TEAMUP collaboration, which is planned to start in the fall of 2023, is supported by $9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. TEAMUP seeks to maximize the performance and reliability of tandem solar panels for consumer use.

The US Department of Energy supports perovskite R&D initiatives, both in academia and industry. We have recently interviewed Lenny Tinker, Photovoltaics Program Manager, Solar Energy Technologies Office at the US DoE.

Q: Hello Lenny, thanks for your time. Do you believe perovskite materials hold the key to next-gen solar (PV) energy?

Perovskite solar cells have shown potential for high performance and low production costs. However, considerable work needs to be done in order for these materials to reach commercial success in PV applications.

Perovskite-Info is proud to announce an update to our Perovskite for the Display Industry Market Report. This market report, brought to you by the world's leading perovskite and OLED industry experts, is a comprehensive guide to next-generation perovskite-based solutions for the display industry that enable efficient, low cost and high-quality display devices. The report is now updated to May 2023, with all the latest commercial and research activity.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• Perovskite materials and their properties
• Perovskite applications in the display industry
• Perovskite QDs for color conversion
• Prominent perovskite display related research activities

The report also provides a list of perovskite display companies, datasheets and brochures of pQD film solutions, an introduction to perovskite materials and processes, an introduction to emerging display technologies and more.

A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and University of Washington recently developed a multifunctional and non-volatile additive which can improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by modulating perovskite film growth. 

The team explained that the additive can be used to modulate the kinetics of perovskite film growth through a hydrogen-bond-bridged intermediate phase. The additive enables the formation of large perovskite grains and coherent grain growth from bottom to the surface of the film. The enhanced film morphology reportedly results in significantly reduced non-radiative recombinations, thus boosting the power conversion efficiency of inverted (p–i–n) solar cells to 24.8% (24.5% certified) with a low energy loss of 0.36 eV. The unencapsulated devices exhibited improved thermal stability with a T98 lifetime beyond 1,000 h under continuous heating at 65 ± 5 °C in a nitrogen-filled glovebox. This effective approach can also be applied to wide-bandgap perovskites and large-area devices to show reduced voltage loss and high efficiency.

Researchers from China's Chongqing University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and JA Solar Holdings Co., along with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Germany's CTF Solar and have designed a perovskite solar cell based on a binary mixed hole transport layer (HTL) that reportedly offers better performance than HTLs that rely on commonly utilized hygroscopic dopants.

The team mixed two popular hole transport materials to form a binary mixed HTL, that exhibited improved moisture resistance. As a result, PSCs equipped with the mixed HTL achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 24.3% and superior operational stability. The cells without encapsulation can maintain 90% initial efficiency after storage in dark ambient conditions (30% RH) for 1200 hours. These results suggest that such a mixed HTL could be a promising strategy to meet the future photovoltaic applications demands with low-cost as well as excellent efficiency and device stability.

The following is a sponsored post by Toray Engineering

In an article dated Oct 17, 2022, Toray Engineering introduced its slot-die coating technology, as well as other technologies that can be utilized for perovskite layer deposition for large-scaled production.

This article will describe two processes to formulate Perovskite layers using such technologies, using Toray Engineering’s manufacturing equipment. One of the processes is a 1-step coating method that applies FAPBI3 coating to formulate a power-generation layer. The other process is a 2-step coating method that double coats PBI2 and FAI to formulate a power-generation layer. For both processes, by combining its technologies in slot-die, vacuum dryer, and air knife, Perovskite layers can be formulated on large-scale glass surfaces.

Researchers at Nanjing University, Nankai University, East China Normal University and University of Toronto have developed new inorganic wide-bandgap perovskite subcells that could increase the efficiency and stability of all-perovskite tandem solar cells. Their design involves the insertion of a passivating dipole layer at the interface between organic transport layers and inorganic perovskites within the cells.

The scientists explained that efficient tandem solar cells made using hybrid organic inorganic wide-bandgap perovskites have thus far maintained only 90% of their initial PCE for 600 hours of operation at their maximum power point (MPP). Therefore, achieving long-term stability has become a critical issue for the commercialization of all-perovskite tandem solar cells.