January 2025

Microquanta has announced that a 1 MW solar rooftop demonstration project at Qinghai University has been successfully grid connected. The project makes use of Microquanta’s perovskite modules and is one the first megawatt-scale perovskite rooftop distributed PV projects in Qinghai Province. The electricity generated by this rooftop plant will be utilized by the campus. 

This project is said to be one of the largest perovskite power plants globally. It is equipped with a smart monitoring platform, which provides real-time visualization of the plant’s power generation, electricity transactions, and equipment performance. Over its 25-year lifecycle, the project is expected to generate a total of 20,327,745.20 kWh, with an average annual output of 813,109.81 kWh.

As part of CEA and 3SUN's joint development of tandem perovskite-over-silicon solar cell technology, a new milestone was announced, setting a new efficiency record of 30.8%. This cell was developed in CEA’s laboratories, located on the campus of the National Institute for Solar Energy (INES).

The tandem architecture used by the CEA and 3SUN for this record makes exceeding the theoretical efficiency limit - set at around 29% for conventional silicon technologies currently being produced in photovoltaic gigafactories - possible. Furthermore, while most international records are achieved on a 1 cm² area, CEA and 3SUN achieved this performance on a 9 cm² cell, which should facilitate the transition to industrial scale.

The controlled growth of two-dimensional (2D) perovskites on top of three-dimensional (3D) perovskite films can improve the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by reducing interfacial recombination and impeding ion migration. However, the random orientation of the spontaneously formed 2D phase atop the pre-deposited 3D perovskite film can deteriorate charge extraction owing to energetic disorder, limiting the maximum attainable efficiency and long-term stability of the PSCs. 

Schematic illustrating the reorientation of the 2D-MAP perovskite during and after the post-dripping process. Image credit: Nature Communications

Recently, an international team of scientists, including ones from Saudi Arabia’s KAUST, Korea University and the Chinese Academy of Science, developed a meta-amidinopyridine ligand and the solvent post-dripping step to generate a highly ordered 2D perovskite phase on the surface of a 3D perovskite film. 

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hebei University of Science and Technology, Hebei University of Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Anhui Institute of Innovation for Industrial Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology and Liaocheng University have used Lauramide (LA) molecules on perovskite films as a surface modification layer. As a result, the team demonstrated a multifunctional surface molecular modification strategy to develop high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. 

By depositing the layer of LA molecule, the defects on the perovskite surface were successfully passivated. LA can form hydrogen bonds with iodide ions (I⁻) and promote anchoring to impede the migration of I⁻ inside the crystal structure. The lone electron pair of the carbonyl (C=O) functional group in LA can also coordinate with the uncoordinated lead ions (Pb²⁺) or lead clusters (Pb0), which effectively reduces the non-radiative recombination caused by surface defects. 

While quasi-2D perovskites made with organic spacers co-crystallized with inorganic cesium lead bromide can enable near unity photoluminescence quantum yield at room temperature, LEDs made with such quasi-2D perovskites tend to degrade rapidly - which remains a major bottleneck in this field.

Now, researchers from SUNY University at Buffalo, Texas A&M University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Missouri University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan University and Yonsei University have shown that the bright emission originates from finely tuned multi-component 2D nano-crystalline phases that are thermodynamically unstable.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have reportedly developed a perovskite-based approach to detecting harmful metals like mercury in living cells and the environment.

The team relied on perovskites' unique interaction with light, which enables them to serve as fluorescent probes inside living cells. However, their quick degradation in water has previously limited their applications. To address this, the researchers encapsulated the perovskite nanocrystals in silica and polymer coatings, significantly enhancing their stability and luminescent intensity in water. This modification ensures the nanocrystals maintain their functionality over extended periods, making them highly effective for practical use.

GAC Energy Technology has reportedly signed a strategic cooperation agreement with LONGi Leye Photovoltaic Technology (a wholly-owned subsidiary of LONGi) at GAC Group's headquarters in Guangzhou. The partnership focuses on a wide range of initiatives, including solar, energy storage, EV charging, and battery swapping projects, energy solutions, vehicle sales, and photovoltaic product development.  

Under the agreement, both parties will promote innovative energy products and solutions. Key initiatives include the application of cutting-edge photovoltaic technologies, such as perovskite solar modules, across GAC Group's product lineup and novel use cases. They also plan to explore the integration of energy storage, EV charging, and intelligent vehicle-to-home energy systems, as well as off-grid energy solutions.  

Researchers from China's Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhijing Nanotech (Beijing) have reported the spray-drying fabrication of perovskite quantum dot (PQD) microspheres from a precursor solution at a scale of 2000 kg∙a⁻¹. 

The obtained PQDs were embedded in polymer microspheres, resulting in a high photoluminescence quantum yield and enhanced stability. By controlling the precursor concentration, the average size of the polymer microspheres can be tuned from 41 to 0.44 μm. The as-prepared PQD-embedded polymer microspheres were mixed with ultraviolet adhesive to fabricate PQD-enhanced optical films for liquid crystal display (LCD) backlights. 

A €3.9m EU-funded project called ET COMPACT is developing three fuel-free propulsion systems around solar energy and green propulsion innovations. The aim is to reduce satellite costs while significantly increasing the proportion of useable satellite mass, for example for scientific experiments, antennas or cameras.

The first technology is a thin film 2-terminal tandem CIGS/Perovskite module for in-space solar energy harvesting and green propulsion, with the goal of achieving an efficiency larger than 15 percent and a power-per-weight ratio larger than 50W/kg to reduce the cost of in-space solar panels.

Researchers from the Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CPU Hydrogen Power Technology (Suzhou), Fudan University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhengzhou University have developed smart glasses that track eye position using arrays of perovskite light sensors instead of cameras or contact lenses. Their system measures light reflected from the eyeball to determine gaze direction with five-degree precision. 

The researchers solved a key materials challenge by developing a novel crystal growth method inspired by biological mineralization processes. They added a layer of polyacrylic acid sodium (PAAS) that guides perovskite crystals to form in larger, more organized structures – similar to how sea creatures control shell formation. This resulted in methylammonium lead iodide films with superior light-detecting capabilities.