Perovskite Solar - Page 31

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER-TVM), Germany's University of Potsdam and The Chinese University of Hong Kong have addressed an important aspect in the field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) – the exact role of excess lead iodide content within the perovskite layer. While an optimal amount of excess lead iodide contributes to improved grain boundary passivation and blocking of minority charge carriers, leading to the development of highly efficient PSCs, the photo-stability of PSCs with surplus lead iodide remains a major concern. This concern stems from the catalytic role excess lead iodide can play in the degradation of PSCs under illumination.

The issue often arises during the fabrication of perovskite films using a two-step spin coating method, where the conversion of lead iodide films to perovskite is hindered due to challenges in controlling the reaction between lead iodide films and cationic precursor solutions. Various modifications of the two-step approach are presented in the literature, each aiming to achieve a near full conversion of lead iodide films into perovskite when exposed to cationic precursor solutions.

GCL Photoelectric Materials (GCL Perovskite), a subsidiary of GCL Tech, has announced that it was able to attain a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 18.04% on a perovskite single-junction solar module, with dimensions measuring 1,000mm by 2,000mm. It was reported that this result was officially tested and confirmed by the China National Institute of Metrology.

GCL Perovskite team has been working on achieving this objective of exceeding the anticipated conversion efficiency of 18% for standard-sized perovskite modules, and the team will now focus on conducting research and development for the next-generation perovskite tandem modules.

According to recent reports, China-based Xi'an Tianjiao New Energy has obtained nearly 100 million yuan (over USD$14,100,00) in angel round financing, led by Winreal Investment. The funds will primarily be used for building a perovskite pilot production line with a capacity of 10MW alongside other operational expenses covering consumables and staff.

Tianjiao, a perovskite solar cell developer, specializes in manufacturing single-cell perovskite modules including both flexible and rigid types. The rigid modules find their use primarily in PVBI, whereas the flexible ones are mounted on car roofs or used in 5G base stations.

French PV module manufacturer Voltec Solar has secured €9.3 million ($10.1 million) from Ademe, France’s environmental agency. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate the production of perovskite-silicon tandem solar panels.

The French manufacturer currently operates two 250 MW production lines at its factory in Dinsheim-sur-Bruche, France.

Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and of two Helmholtz platforms—Helmholtz Imaging at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Helmholtz AI—have found a way to predict the quality of the perovskite layers and consequently that of the resulting solar cells. Using machine learning and new methods in artificial intelligence (AI), it is possible to assess their quality from variations in light emission already in the manufacturing process.

"Manufacturing these high-grade, multi-crystalline thin layers without any deficiencies or holes using low-cost and scalable methods is one of the biggest challenges," says tenure-track professor Ulrich W. Paetzold who conducts research at the Institute of Microstructure Technology and the Light Technology Institute of KIT.

Researchers at Northwestern University and University of Toronto have developed a way to improve the efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cell using a combination of molecules to address different issues. They reported a dual-molecule solution to overcoming losses in efficiency as sunlight is converted to energy. 

By incorporating a molecule to address surface recombination, in which electrons are lost when they are trapped by defects — missing atoms on the surface, with a second molecule to disrupt recombination at the interface between layers, the team achieved a National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) certified efficiency of 25.1% where earlier approaches reached efficiencies of just 24.09%.

Researchers from Australia's RMIT University, Monash University, CSIRO Manufacturing, La Trobe University, and Georgia Institute of Technology in the US recently used AI to produce perovskite solar cells in just a matter of weeks, bypassing years of human labor and human error to optimize the cells.

“Until now, the process of creating perovskite cells has been more like alchemy than science – record efficiencies have been reached, but positive results are notoriously difficult to reproduce,” said study lead, author Dr. Nastaran Meftahi from RMIT University’s School of Science. “What we have achieved is the development of a method for rapidly and reproducibly making and testing new solar cells, where each generation learns from and improves upon the previous.”

France-based Armor Group has acquired a 20% stake in French solar module maker HoloSolis. 

In 2025, HoloSolis plans to open a TOPCon PV cell and panel factory in France. At full capacity from 2027, the factory is expected to employ 1,700 people and produce 10 million modules per year, for a total capacity of 5 GW per year. HoloSolis is also working on the next generation of solar panels and the perovskite-silicon tandem cells.

Researchers from Nanjing University and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China have designed an all-perovskite tandem solar cell based on a wide bandgap perovskite top cell relying on a two-dimensional/three-dimensional heterostructure and a narrow bandgap bottom cell.

Schematic of the solar cell structure and the corresponding cross-sectional SEM image of an all-perovskite tandem solar cell. Image from Nature Communications

The research group used a generic 3D-to-2D perovskite conversion approach to fabricate the top cell. They first deposited a lead-halide perovskite (methylammonium lead iodide - MAPbI₃) layer by a hybrid evaporation/solution method and then transformed the layer into a 2D structure via a long-chain ammonium ligand.

Huasun Energy, China-based developer of HJT solar products, has raised more than RMB2 billion (over USD$275,600,000) in its Series C funding. The lead investor is China Green Development Investment Group (China Green Development), with co-investments from Bank of China Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Bank of China Asset) and China Post Insurance Company Limited (China Post Insurance). Originvest and China Xinxing Asset Management Co., Ltd. (China Xinxing Asset) also increased their investment in this round. 

The funding will be used to further expand the production of Huasun's high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) products and to support the R&D of cutting-edge technologies, including heterojunction-perovskite tandem solar cells.