Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are contenders for the next-generation photovoltaic technology, with the potential to deliver module efficiency gains at minimal cost. (Credit: Dennis Schroeder / NREL)
The future’s getting brighter for solar power. Researchers from CU Boulder have created a low-cost solar cell with one of the highest power-conversion efficiencies to date, by layering cells and using a unique combination of elements.
“We took a product that is responsible for a $30 billion a year industry and made it 30% better,” said Michael McGehee, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and co-author of a paper, published now in Science, which describes the technology. “That’s a big deal.”
The researchers took a perovskite solar cell, a crystal structure that’s designed to harvest higher energy photons, and layered it on top of a silicon solar cell, which captures more photons in the infrared part of the spectrum—which is made up of radiant energy that we cannot see, but we can feel as heat. Combined, the perovskite raises a 21% silicon solar cell up to an efficiency of 27%—increasing it by a third.
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As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one. The same is true when it comes to solar cells working in tandem. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy ...
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For Michael Saliba and Mahdi Malekshahi, it was one of those moments in science when good experimental results raised more questions. The University of Stuttgart researchers recently developed a new ...
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The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has updated its research cell efficiency chart for a range of PV technologies.
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- Perovskite cells power palm-sized drone
Researchers at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz and the Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells in Austria have developed ultra-lightweight quasi-2D perovskite solar cells with a power output of ...
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- Researchers outline path forward for tandem solar cells
As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one. The same is true when it comes to solar cells working in tandem. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy ...
- Photovoltaic Research Challenges: Overcoming Hurdles in Solar Technology
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has evolved in the past few years, particularly in solar panels and systems. However, researchers and institutions are actively working to overcome limitations to ...
- Researchers develop ‘half-tandem’ perovskite solar cells with conversion efficiency of 27.63%
Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology reserachers have developed ‘half-tandem’ solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 27.63% ...
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Researchers in Spain claim to have recorded the highest power conversion efficiency result for a four-terminal tandem organic cell to date. The device is based on an ultrathin transparent silver ...
- Scientists Develop Solar Cell Having World Record Efficiency
Scientists from the National University of Singapore have unveiled a groundbreaking achievement in solar cell technology with the development of a novel ...
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