Researchers at MIT have developed a bottom-up approach for precise and scalable formation of perovskite nanocrystal arrays with deterministic control over size, number, and position. The new platform enables researchers to 'grow' halide perovskite nanocrystals with precise control over the location and size of each individual crystal, integrating them into nanoscale light-emitting diodes.

Halide perovskite materials have largely been implemented into thin-film or micron-sized device applications. Precisely integrating these materials at the nanoscale could open up even more remarkable applications, like on-chip light sources, photodetectors, and memristors. However, achieving this integration has remained challenging because this delicate material can be damaged by conventional fabrication and patterning techniques.

In two separate studies, researchers report novel methods that enable the fabrication of high-performance perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with power conversion efficiencies exceeding 30%. 

Combining perovskite and silicon solar cells into a tandem device could provide a promising path toward high-performance PVs. Here, in the two separate studies, researchers present different strategies for developing perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with a PCE exceeding 30%. In one study, Xin Yu Chin from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and colleagues showed that the uniform deposition of the perovskite top cell on a silicon bottom cell featuring micrometric pyramids – the industry standard configuration – can facilitate high photocurrents in tandem solar cells.

A research group, led by Professor Minoru Osada at the Institute for Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS), Nagoya University in Japan, in collaboration with NIMS, has used perovskite materials to develop a nanosheet device with the highest energy storage performance yet seen. 

Dielectric energy storage capacitors could be a promising alternative to current energy storage technologies like lithium-ion batteries. The basic structure of the capacitor is a sandwich-like film made of two metal electrodes separated by a solid dielectric film. Dielectrics are materials that store energy through a physical charge displacement mechanism called polarization. When an electric field is applied to the capacitor, the positive charges are attracted towards the negative electrode. The negative charges are attracted towards the positive electrode. Then, storing electrical energy depends on the polarization of the dielectric film by applying an external electric field. 

It was reported that a municipality in Tokyo has signed an agreement with Ricoh to promote the U.N-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The equipment maker will provide perovskite-based solar cells to elementary schools in Ota Ward to help students learn about the subject.

Power from the cells will be used for lighting at the schools. Ricoh officials will also use the cells in lectures about environmental issues.

The SolarNL initiative, designed to strengthen solar manufacturing in the Netherlands, has been awarded a subsidy by the Dutch government’s National Growth Fund. The project will receive EUR 312 million (USD 340m) from the government, of which EUR 135 million awarded immediately and EUR 177 million conditionally, as well as a EUR-100-million loan.

The SolarNL program groups nine Dutch solar technology companies - Solarge, MCPV, HyET Solar, Compoform, Exasun, Energyra, Lightyear Layer, IM Efficiency and Taylor - and research organizations, targeting the development and large-scale production of circular integrated solar cells and panels in the Netherlands.

It will seek to develop and industrialize three innovative photovoltaic (PV) technologies: high-efficiency silicon heterojunction cells (HJT), flexible perovskite films, and PV products for integration into buildings and automotive applications.

MCPV said (on Linkedin) that the support includes its first GW-scale HJT cell manufacturing facility in Europe.

The overall budget of the program is EUR 898 million, of which EUR 586 million is private financing.

Solar PV equipment provider Shenzhen S.C. has announced its plan to issue convertible bonds to raise up to 961 million RMB (around USD$134 million). The funds will be invested in manufacturing equipment for perovskite and perovskite tandem solar cells, aiming to advance the company’s position in the rapidly expanding market for these advanced solar technologies.

Shenzhen S.C. intends to use the raised funds to establish production facilities for perovskite and perovskite tandem solar cell equipment in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China. The project is projected to take around 2.5 years to complete and will have an annual production capacity of 160 physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment, 119 reactive plasma coating (RPC) equipment, and 60 vacuum evaporation coating (VEC) equipment.

Printable planar carbon electrodes are emerging as a promising replacement for thermally evaporated metals as the rear contact for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the state-of-the-art carbon-electrode PSC (c-PSC) noticeably lag behind their metal-electrode counterparts. Recently, researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg have proposed a hole-transporting bilayer (HTbL) configuration to improve the fill factor and the open-circuit voltage of carbon electrode PSCs (c-PSCs). 

The HTbL was prepared by sequentially blade coating two organic semiconductors between perovskite and carbon, with the outer HTL enhancing hole extraction to carbon, while the inner HTL mitigates perovskite surface recombination. Consequently, the fully printed c-PSCs with HTbL outperformed those with single HTL, and a stabilized champion PCE of 19.2% was achieved compared with that of 17.3%. 

The following is a sponsored post by MBRAUN

Germany-based inert gas leading solutions provider MBRAUN is offering a wide range of solutions for the perovskite industry, ranging from R&D systems to full-industrial solutions. One of the company’s customers, KAUST University in Saudi Arabia, recently announced a word record with the help of MBRAUN systems.

Erkan Aydin, Professor and Researcher Scientist at KAUST, says: “In two months' time, we've set a new world record for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells - again! With our latest update, perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have reached impressive 33.7% certified power conversion efficiency, surpassing our previous milestone of 33.2%. We hope that our new achievement will contribute to accelerating the green energy transition. The recent champion cell was certified at European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) Center.”

New efficiency world record, June 2023

Only in the beginning of April, researchers from the KAUST Photovoltaic Laboratory (KPV-Lab) at the KAUST Solar Center produced a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 33.2 %, topping the world record recently set by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).

German photovoltaic thin-film tubes developer, Tubesolar, has reportedly filed an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings. The appointed administrator will initiate a merger and acquisition (M&A) process to find a future solution for the insolvent startup. 

The insolvency filing was made soon after Tubesolar indicated it had no sufficient financial resources to cover its short-term financial needs. It was said that salaries of Tubesolar’s employees are secured for three months through insolvency benefits.

A team of researchers at the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) has fabricated a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell (PSC) that, by combining it with a silicon-based solar cell, has demonstrated an efficiency of more than 26% for such a cell.

The team at IIT Bombay has addressed the stability issue by combining their PSC with a silicon solar cell in a tandem configuration. Combining the two different types of solar cells allows the device to convert more of the light falling on it into electricity. Apart from the higher efficiency, the tandem architecture also provides greater stability to the device, while driving its overall lifetime costs low.