Perovskite Solar - Page 39

Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a design strategy that could reduce defects in FAPbI₃-based solar cells, improving their power efficiency. This strategy involves the application of an additive and a coating agent to the perovskite films integrated in the solar cells.

"Power conversion efficiencies of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on methylammonium- and bromide-free formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃) perovskites still lag behind PSCs with a regular configuration," Rui Chen, Jinan Wang, and their colleagues wrote in their paper. "We improve the quality of both the bulk and surface of FA_0.98Cs_0.02PbI₃ perovskite films to reduce the efficiency gap."

Researchers from the University of Toronto, the University of Kentucky, EPFL, North Carolina State University and Northwestern University have designed a perovskite solar cell that can stand up to high temperatures for more than 1,500 hours — an important achievement on the to commercialization. 

“Perovskite solar cells offer new pathways to overcome some of the efficiency limitations of silicon-based technology, which is the industrial standard today,” said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering, professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and a former professor at the University of Toronto. “But due to its multi-decade head start, silicon still has an advantage in some areas, including stability. This study shows how we can close that gap.”

Researchers from Thailand's Mahidol University, Chiang Mai University, the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC) and the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) have developed triple-cation perovskite solar cells for low-light applications using a manufacturing process based on antisolvent deposition and vacuum thermal annealing (VTA).

“VTA leads to compact, dense, and hard morphology while suppressing trap states at surfaces and grain boundaries, which are key culprits for exciton losses,” the team stated, emphasizing the importance of the second step to produce a high quality perovskite layer. “As indoor light intensity is at least 300 times lower than that of sunlight, dense and homogeneous perovskite formation enticed by vacuum thermal annealing is valuable.”

In two separate studies, researchers report novel methods that enable the fabrication of high-performance perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with power conversion efficiencies exceeding 30%. 

Combining perovskite and silicon solar cells into a tandem device could provide a promising path toward high-performance PVs. Here, in the two separate studies, researchers present different strategies for developing perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with a PCE exceeding 30%. In one study, Xin Yu Chin from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and colleagues showed that the uniform deposition of the perovskite top cell on a silicon bottom cell featuring micrometric pyramids – the industry standard configuration – can facilitate high photocurrents in tandem solar cells.

It was reported that a municipality in Tokyo has signed an agreement with Ricoh to promote the U.N-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The equipment maker will provide perovskite-based solar cells to elementary schools in Ota Ward to help students learn about the subject.

Power from the cells will be used for lighting at the schools. Ricoh officials will also use the cells in lectures about environmental issues.

The SolarNL initiative, designed to strengthen solar manufacturing in the Netherlands, has been awarded a subsidy by the Dutch government’s National Growth Fund. The project will receive EUR 312 million (USD 340m) from the government, of which EUR 135 million awarded immediately and EUR 177 million conditionally, as well as a EUR-100-million loan.

The SolarNL program groups nine Dutch solar technology companies - Solarge, MCPV, HyET Solar, Compoform, Exasun, Energyra, Lightyear Layer, IM Efficiency and Taylor - and research organizations, targeting the development and large-scale production of circular integrated solar cells and panels in the Netherlands.

It will seek to develop and industrialize three innovative photovoltaic (PV) technologies: high-efficiency silicon heterojunction cells (HJT), flexible perovskite films, and PV products for integration into buildings and automotive applications.

MCPV said (on Linkedin) that the support includes its first GW-scale HJT cell manufacturing facility in Europe.

The overall budget of the program is EUR 898 million, of which EUR 586 million is private financing.

Solar PV equipment provider Shenzhen S.C. has announced its plan to issue convertible bonds to raise up to 961 million RMB (around USD$134 million). The funds will be invested in manufacturing equipment for perovskite and perovskite tandem solar cells, aiming to advance the company’s position in the rapidly expanding market for these advanced solar technologies.

Shenzhen S.C. intends to use the raised funds to establish production facilities for perovskite and perovskite tandem solar cell equipment in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China. The project is projected to take around 2.5 years to complete and will have an annual production capacity of 160 physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment, 119 reactive plasma coating (RPC) equipment, and 60 vacuum evaporation coating (VEC) equipment.

Printable planar carbon electrodes are emerging as a promising replacement for thermally evaporated metals as the rear contact for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the state-of-the-art carbon-electrode PSC (c-PSC) noticeably lag behind their metal-electrode counterparts. Recently, researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg have proposed a hole-transporting bilayer (HTbL) configuration to improve the fill factor and the open-circuit voltage of carbon electrode PSCs (c-PSCs). 

The HTbL was prepared by sequentially blade coating two organic semiconductors between perovskite and carbon, with the outer HTL enhancing hole extraction to carbon, while the inner HTL mitigates perovskite surface recombination. Consequently, the fully printed c-PSCs with HTbL outperformed those with single HTL, and a stabilized champion PCE of 19.2% was achieved compared with that of 17.3%. 

The following is a sponsored post by MBRAUN

Germany-based inert gas leading solutions provider MBRAUN is offering a wide range of solutions for the perovskite industry, ranging from R&D systems to full-industrial solutions. One of the company’s customers, KAUST University in Saudi Arabia, recently announced a word record with the help of MBRAUN systems.

Erkan Aydin, Professor and Researcher Scientist at KAUST, says: “In two months' time, we've set a new world record for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells - again! With our latest update, perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have reached impressive 33.7% certified power conversion efficiency, surpassing our previous milestone of 33.2%. We hope that our new achievement will contribute to accelerating the green energy transition. The recent champion cell was certified at European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) Center.”

New efficiency world record, June 2023

Only in the beginning of April, researchers from the KAUST Photovoltaic Laboratory (KPV-Lab) at the KAUST Solar Center produced a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 33.2 %, topping the world record recently set by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).

German photovoltaic thin-film tubes developer, Tubesolar, has reportedly filed an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings. The appointed administrator will initiate a merger and acquisition (M&A) process to find a future solution for the insolvent startup. 

The insolvency filing was made soon after Tubesolar indicated it had no sufficient financial resources to cover its short-term financial needs. It was said that salaries of Tubesolar’s employees are secured for three months through insolvency benefits.