June 2024

Researchers from Colombia's Universidad de los Andes recently set out to develop inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs) with a hole transport layer based on indium-doped nickel oxide. The result is a champion device that achieved an efficiency of 20.06% with remarkable stability.

The team explained that NiOx has an energy gap of over 3.5 eV, exceptional chemical stability, durability, low toxicity, and cost-effective processing. The scientists said that in the case of NiOx-based inverted perovskite solar cells, the doping approach has indeed paved the way for HTL optimization, frequently through observable improvements also at the interface level and in the perovskite layer.

Researchers from Monash University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Tunghai University, the University of Oxford, National Central University, and the City University of Hong Kong have developed a strategy to enhance the stability and performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) through a mechanism described as 'self-healing'.

The team reported a living passivation strategy using a hindered urea/thiocarbamate bond Lewis acid-base material (HUBLA), where dynamic covalent bonds with water and heat-activated characteristics can dynamically heal the perovskite to ensure device performance and stability. 

A few months ago, Helio Display Materials, a developer of perovskite-based color conversion materials for displays, announced that it entered into a strategic partnership with Haylo Ventures, a venture operator specializing in accelerating the commercialization of deep tech. 

This collaboration targets micro displays for AR/VR headsets, signifying a pivotal shift in Helio's strategic direction.

SunDensity has acquired QD Solar, developer of perovskite solar cells, renaming it SunDensity Canada. This move is meant to align both companies on technologies and products that amplify solar panel efficiency.

SunDensity develops coatings that improve the efficiency of solar panels and increase the reflectivity of windows and glass, helping to lower energy costs and carbon emissions by reducing heat gain. The acquisition will combine the technological expertise of both companies, targeting commercialization. 

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) recently gained better understanding of the origin of halide perovskites' extraordinary carrier lifetimes, by showing that halide perovskites are governed by unconventional electron–phonon physics, leading to the formation of topological polarons, a class of phonon-mediated electron/hole quasiparticles. 

The team's findings suggest that halide perovskites may be regarded as a class of quantum materials where electron–phonon couplings replace the traditional electron–electron interactions of correlated electron systems.

Researchers from China's Nankai University and Linköping University in Sweden have attempted to design a perovskite solar cell with the help of ChatGPT. The experiment helped the team to identify a series of materials for the cell composition and the results were cells with a higher power conversion efficiency compared to that of reference cells built without the material proposed by ChatGPT.

The scientists explored ChatGPT's ability to generate hypotheses for material science and identify untested molecules capable of reducing surface recombination and thereby boosting the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

Sunmaxx PVT, a German developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic-thermal solar modules, and Oxford PV, a producer of high-efficiency tandem solar cells, announced the launch of the “Solar Hammer" module. This partnership marks the first use of perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells in a photovoltaic thermal module, enabling a very high conversion efficiency. Both the cells and the modules are produced in Germany.

Sunmaxx PVT’s modules combine proven thermal management technology from the automotive industry with photovoltaics, leading to a total conversion efficiency of 80%, certified by Fraunhofer ISE. Oxford PV’s perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells have broken multiple records for conversion efficiency. In combination, these technologies enable more usable electricity and heat to be generated from the sun’s energy. The new module comes at a record efficiency of 26.6% electrical and 53.4% thermal efficiency, totaling 80% overall efficiency on aperture area level of 1.63 m². The electrical power of the module with 6×10 M6 cells is 433 W, surpassing the previous record of Fraunhofer ISE.

An assistant professor at Arizona State University named Nick Rolston has received a 2024 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to develop standards for perovskite solar panel reliability and longevity.

As silicon solar panels have been around for decades, standards to build high-quality panels are well established after years of research and testing. However, there are no such tests or standards for perovskite panels. As a family of materials with different properties than silicon, perovskites exhibit much different behavior. Many designs developed to date degrade quickly, dropping to 80% of their original efficiency — the standard for replacement — after a year or less.

LONGi Green Energy Technology has announced a new world record efficiency of 30.1% for a commercial M6 size wafer-level silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell at the 2024 Intersolar Europe event in Germany. This new record comes less than a week after LONGi announced a new world record of 34.6% tandem solar cell efficiency at the 2024 SNEC EXPO in Shanghai, and it also breaks the previous world record of 28.6% wafer-level tandem solar cell efficiency on M4 commercial size wafers in May 2023.

The commercial M6 size wafer-level silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell was independently certified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (Fraunhofer ISE) in Germany.

Oxford PV has announced a record-setting 26.9% efficiency for its double-glass, 60-cell “residential sized” perovskite tandem module at the Intersolar Europe 2024 event. The module reportedly has a surface area of a little over 1.6 m square meters (1m x 1.7m) and weighs a little under 25 kg, “the ideal size for residential applications,” according to Oxford PV.

Oxford PV produces the proprietary high efficiency tandem solar cells at its manufacturing facility in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, and uses both in-house and contract services for the module assembly.