A new European project focused on perovskites has been launched, called “EFESO” (Exploiting Flexible pErovskites Solar technOlogies). It is a new fully funded
Horizon-Europe project, lead by Dr. Luigi Angelo Castriotta, Post Doctoral fellow of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
The project aims to advance the upscaling of stable Flexible Perovskite Solar Modules (FPSMs) by optimizing fabrication processes on flexible substrates, reducing inactive areas on modules and working on lead (Pb) trapping intrinsically, using doping and interface engineering, and extrinsically by
encapsulation strategies.
Perovskite Solar technologies on flexible substrates have great potential in terms of applications and recycling strategies, but so far only few research centers have focused on upscaling these process, meaning that knowledge transfer is needed regarding the move from small to large module size area and from rigid to flexible substrates.
The project is divided into 3 main parts:
1. Materials: assessment of the flexible substrates, additives, and interface layers to get the best and stable layer to be used for device fabrication.
2. Device: fabrication and characterization of devices, focusing on lead trapping strategies by encapsulation and interface engineering.
3. Upscaling: optimization of the design and laser processes of P1-P2-P3 (standard procedures to create a series connection of cells, to reduce losses encountered for large area devices).
This project aims to tackle the challenges standing before this technology, by proving long-term stability and lead trapping strategies to pass the main stress tests used to check the stability over time.
The project gathers some of the best research centers that work on upscaling perovskite solar technology worldwide, Prof. Huang’s group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in the United States, Dr. Castriotta's expertise in laser design processes, interface engineering and fabrication of stable FPSMs, the Centre for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy (CHOSE), under the Electronic Engineering department of the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UNITOV) in Italy, one of the leading research centers in Europe, focusing on upscaling perovskite technologies on rigid and flexible substrates, and Saule Technologies.
Based on the related statement, the principal objective of this project will be the realization of Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells with performances of 23% and 35% on small area devices under 1 sun and 1000lux respectively, FPSMs with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21% and 18% on areas greater than 10cm2 and 200cm2 respectively. All devices fabricated will pass the ISOS D-L-T-1 tests and they will show a reduction of lead leakage by 4-5 orders of magnitude. A final product demonstrator will be fabricated showing the application of these devices into the market.
