An international team of researchers from Bangladesh, USA and Saudi Arabia recently developed a structure that combines a double perovskite absorber layer (DPAL) of Ca₃NCl₃ and Ca₃SbI₃ with an electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer (HTL) of CdS and CBTS via SCAPS-1D. 

The team's research demonstrated that the perovskite solar cell (PSC) with DPAL performs much better with the addition of HTL and is more efficient than single-layer PSCs. This work thoroughly examines the effect of thickness, doping levels, and defect densities of each layer on electrical parameters like VOC, JSC, FF, and PCE. 

It was reported that China-based Microquanta has shipped its self-developed 50 MW perovskite α modules to China Huaneng for a PV demonstration project, reportedly marking China’s first commercial use of four-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem modules. 

The 1,245 mm x 635 mm modules feature perovskite layers on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 25.4%.

Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled a list of research programs and future technologies it's working on, including a "new kind of solar paint" that could "generate enough electricity for more than 12,000 km per year". While integrating solar panels into vehicles is an existing concept that is being examined by several automotive companies, this "solar paint" seems to hint at something a bit different: a coating that could be used for the entire surface of the car, to capture solar energy. 

Image credit: Mercedes Benz

Solar paint is not a new idea, but an actual implementation of such a coating in the automotive space is yet to be seen - which seems to be what Mercedes-Benz is referring to as part of a new "Pioneering innovations for the car of the future" presentation outlining key research programs it's working on. Of course, Mercedes-Benz does not specify the exact PV technology under development, but it stands to reason that it is possibly perovskite-based technology, due to factors like the specified efficiency level, thickness, lack of rare earths and silicon, and the claimed low cost of the solar paint.

As it currently remains challenging to obtain precise control over the formation of the thin 2D layer used in 2D/3D heterojunction perovskite solar cells, researchers from China's Jinan University set out to design a method for the precise preparation of 2D/3D perovskite heterojunctions.

Using their new method, the team constructed two different 2D/3D heterojunctions using a vapor-solution mixed deposition method and compared them with heterojunctions formed via conventional solution methods, achieving a PCE of the device from 20.67 % to 22.68%. The new strategy could be a useful way to optimize perovskite films and advance the fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.

Solaires Entreprises is a Canadian solar energy startup that develops novel and cost-effective technology solutions that address compelling market gaps in solar energy harvesting. Among these are perovskite-based solar modules targeted for both outdoor light and indoor light, that are efficient, light, thin and made of readily available and low cost materials.

Solaires Enterprises' CEO, Dr. Sahar Sam, kindly agreed to have a chat with us, to elaborate on topics like the JV with Genesis Technologies called SEI Energy Technology (which recently announced the successful trial production of its perovskite modules from its mass production line), plans for the future and more. 

The ICN2 Nanostructured Materials for Photovoltaic Energy (NMPE) Group, led by CSIC Research Prof. Mónica Lira-Cantú, has reported an achievement in advancing solar energy technologies. In collaboration with the National University of Engineering (UNI) in Peru and NASA's High Altitude Student Platform (HASP), the researchers launched perovskite solar cells (PSCs) into the stratosphere to evaluate their stability and performance under extreme conditions.

The project was an collaboration. Kenedy Tabah Tanko, PhD student at ICN2, was responsible for fabricating and encapsulating the PSCs, under the supervision of Prof. Monica Lira-Cantu. Meanwhile, the payload, designed to measure the cells' performance in flight, was crafted by UNI students, under the supervision of Dr. Mónica Marcela Gómez. Finally, the NASA Balloon Program Office (BPO) and the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) provided the platform for the experiment, allowing the PSCs to be launched 36 km into the stratosphere from New Mexico, USA.

Researchers from the University of Potsdam and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have combined perovskite with organic absorbers to create highly efficient tandem solar cell. 

The team explained that combining two materials that selectively absorb short and long wavelengths, e.g., blue/green and red/infrared parts of the spectrum, makes the best use of sunlight and is a well-known strategy to increase efficiency in solar cells. Best red/infrared absorbing parts of solar cells so far were, however, made from traditional materials, such as silicon or CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide), which require high processing temperatures, and thus exhibit a relatively high carbon footprint. In their work, the team combined perovskite and organic solar cells, both processed at low temperatures with a low carbon footprint. 

This is a sponsored post by Springer Nature 

Perovskite materials have captured the attention of researchers worldwide due to their remarkable properties and versatile applications. These materials are being extensively studied for use in solar cells, photodetectors, field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and spintronics. Perovskites are unique because they offer a combination of high efficiency, low manufacturing costs, and the potential for flexibility and transparency. This makes them highly attractive for various cutting-edge technologies.

Given the relevance of the topic and the growing significance of perovskite materials, Sharon George, Senior Editor, Product Management SpringerMaterials, collaborated with Springer Nature’s blog The Link and interviewed Nature Communications editors to gain some of their insights into Emerging Trends in Perovskite Research - find out more about her findings below.

Image 1: from One-step dual-additive passivated wide-bandgap perovskites to realize 44.72%-efficient indoor photovoltaics, Energy & Environmental Science – https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EE04022D

Advancements in photovoltaics: from tandem to indoor solar cells

Photovoltaics is one of the most hotly discussed topics in perovskite research. According to Natalie Lok Kwan Li (Senior Editor, Nature Communications), current research is heavily focused on improving the performance of solar cells and modules. One of the most exciting advancements in this area is the development of tandem solar cells. These cells combine perovskite materials with other semiconductors to achieve higher efficiencies than traditional single-junction solar cells.

Passivation of 3D perovskite light-harvesting layers with 2D perovskites is an effective strategy to boost the stability, PCEs and reliability of perovskite solar cells. These 2D layers can protect the light-harvesting layers, reducing their reactivity to environmental factors and thus preventing them from degrading quickly over time. 

Researchers from China's Wuhan University of Technology, Xidian University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and Germany's Technical University of Munich recently reported a strategy to prompt the formation of homogenous 2D perovskite passivation layers in perovskite-based solar cells. Using their proposed method, they achieved good active-area efficiencies and stabilities in perovskite solar modules based on formamidinium and cesium.

Researchers from South China University of Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg and Linköping University set out to eliminate deep traps in inorganic narrow bandgap (NBG) perovskites, in order to enable the successful development of 2T inorganic perovskite tandem solar cells (IPTSCs).

The team explained that all-inorganic perovskites prepared by substituting the organic cations (e.g. methylammonium (MA⁺) and formamidinium (FA⁺)) with inorganic cations (e.g. Cs⁺) are effective concepts to enhance the long-term photo- and thermal-stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Hence, inorganic perovskite tandem solar cells (IPTSCs) are promising candidates for breaking the efficiency bottleneck and addressing the stability issue as well. However, challenges in fabricating 2-terminal (2T) IPTSCs due to the inferior film formation and deep trap states induced by tin cations hinder that option.