Perovskite Solar - Page 43

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), a world-leading developer of EV batteries, is spearheading a new initiative to develop solar cells.

According to reports, CATL is researching the development of perovskite cells, among the most promising methods to drive new improvements in solar panel performance. It also recently struck an agreement with JA Solar Technology Co., China’s fourth-biggest module maker, to cooperate on scientific innovations, marketing and storage.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Toledo and Perotech Energy have found that bathocuproine, which is often used as an electron-transport material, can improve power-conversion efficiency and stability when added to the hole-transport layer. 

The chelation product of bathocuproine with lead ions is insoluble in the perovskite ink and also decreases the formation of amorphous regions by reducing the amount of trapped dimethyl sulfoxide solvent. Minimodules with an aperture area of 26.9 square centimeters had a certified efficiency of 21.8% and light-soaking stability exceeding 2000 hours. 

US space agency NASA has revealed the results of an experiment it conducted to assess the performance and durability of perovskite solar cells on the International Space Station. The surprising discovery was that perovskite solar cells tested in space exhibit less degradation than reference devices tested on Earth. The specific factors in the space environment that contributed to the superior performance of the perovskite absorber film currently remain unknown.

NASA tested a perovskite absorber over a 10-month period in order to assess its resistance to vacuum, extreme temperatures, radiation, and light stressors simultaneously.

Researchers from the University of Louisville and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have reported high-performance, inverted f-PSCs from the direct deposition of yttrium-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles functionalized with acetate on top of perovskite as an ink in anhydrous ethanol via blade coating. 

Yttrium doping reportedly improved device performance by improving the charge extraction with a decreased series resistance leading to improvements in the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. 

Oxford PV has announced 'a new world record for the efficiency of a commercial-sized solar cell'. The efficiency record was achieved on a commercial-sized ‘M4’ (258.15 cm²) solar cell. The cell is a 2T device made by depositing a perovskite thin-film cell onto a conventional silicon heterojunction cell.

The record-breaking solar cell converted 28.6% of the sun’s energy into electricity, as independently certified by Fraunhofer ISE. The solar cell was produced at Oxford PV’s integrated production line in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. The factory has commenced initial production of the company’s tandem solar cells for integration by solar module manufacturing partners and is ramping up to higher volumes. The site, operational since 2017, houses the world’s first volume manufacturing line for perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China and Dongguan University of Technology have found a way to improve perovskite solar cells by adding a layer that improves stability and efficiency at capturing power from sunlight.

All-inorganic perovskite solar cells are more stable at high temperatures, which is important for their long-term performance. However, they are not as efficient at converting sunlight into electricity compared to solar cells made with a mix of organic and inorganic materials. The team explored the use of an additional layer to fix the issues found in all-inorganic perovskite solar cells. In these solar cells, the layers of the perovskite material tend to encounter problems with their structure, energy levels, and electron traps. These issues reduce the movement of electrons and overall efficiency of the solar cell. To address these problems, the scientists introduced an extra layer called bis-dimethylamino-functionalized fullerene derivative (PCBDMAM) between the perovskite layer and the layer that helps with electron transport. This interlayer improves the movement of electrons and increases the solar cell's efficiency, while also enhancing its stability at different temperatures.

To pave the way for the industrial implementation of efficient perovskite-silicon PV modules, a reliable measuring system for tandem solar cells and modules must be established. Only then can objective comparisons between different cells and modules take place. In contrast to conventional silicon PV modules, however, the calibration is considerably more challenging. 

A project consortium, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, is therefore developing methods for characterizing perovskite-based tandem modules in the "Katana" project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate BMWK. The solar simulator specially built for this purpose by the company Wavelabs Solar Metrology Systems GmbH is now in use in the CalLab PV Modules of the research institute.

Researchers from Solliance partners Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and TNO have developed a tandem perovskite-silicon solar cell using a new approach to interface engineering. 

The team's findings demonstrate the potential of using (n)nc-SiOx:H and (n)nc-Si:H interfacial layers in tandem solar cells to minimize reflection losses at the interfaces between the perovskite and silicon sub-cells, as explained by the scientists. Through optimizing interference effects, these light management techniques can be applied to various tandem structures.

Researchers fromKorea's Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Ajou University, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and Kookmin University have designed new polymeric hole transport materials that constitute a crucial element in perovskite quantum dot solar cells, leading to significant increase in their efficiency. 

The team's hole transport materials include polymers based on sulfur and selenium compounds. These polymers exhibit structural features, such as planarization and locking of intermolecular arrangements, which increase charge mobility. Furthermore, asymmetric alkyl substituents of the polymers facilitate molecular interactions, thereby complementing the electrical properties of cells.

Scientists from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China and University of Okara in Pakistan have simulated a solar cell based on an absorber using a CsSnI₃ perovskite material, which is an inorganic perovskite that has low exciton binding energy, a high absorbance coefficient, and an energy bandgap of 1.3 eV.

The researchers used the SCAPS-1D solar cell capacitance software, which is a simulation tool for thin-film solar cells developed by the University of Ghent in Belgium, to simulate several cell designs with different electron transport layers (ETLs) and hole transport layers (HTLs). Through a series of simulations, the team found that the best possible cell configuration was provided by a device based on a substrate made of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), a titanium oxide (TiO₂) ETL, the CsSnI₃ absorber, an HTL based on nickel(II) oxide (NiOx), and back electrodes.