University of Surrey involved in significant new research on perovskite solar cells

An international team led by the University of Surrey with Imperial College London have identified a strategy, which could lead to the production of 'cheaper and more sustainable' solar panels.

The work has been published in Energy and Environmental Science and centres around the use of solar cells made out of perovskite, which has been dubbed a 'miracle material'.

While silicon solar panels are used on many rooftops today, perovskite/silicon solar panels are emerging and fully "all-perovskite" panels with even higher power conversion efficiencies are expected to be the next big step.

However, for the technology to be commercially viable, the stability and efficiency, especially around these lead-tin perovskite cells, needs to be improved.

This latest collaborative study initiated by the University of Surrey has identified previously hidden mechanisms, which contribute to both efficiency and stability losses and addresses these challenges.

Dr Imalka Jayawardena, co-author of the study from the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) at the University of Surrey, said: "By significantly enhancing the efficiency of our perovskite-based solar cells, we are moving closer to producing cheaper and more sustainable solar panels.

"We are already working on refining these materials, processes and the device architecture to tackle the remaining challenges."

The team from Surrey and their collaborators said they were able to produce lead-tin perovskite solar cells, which reached more than 23% power conversion efficiency (PCE) - one of the best results achieved with this material, and significantly, a design strategy which improves the lifetime of these devices by 66%.

Hashini Perera, Ph.D. student and lead author of the study from ATI, added: "The understanding we have developed from this work has allowed us to identify a strategy that improves the efficiency and extends the operational lifetime of these devices when exposed to ambient conditions.

"This advancement is a major step towards high efficiency, long-lasting solar panels which will give more people access to affordable clean energy while reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and global carbon emissions."

The University of Surrey is currently building a 12.5MW solar farm, where it can test some of these modules.

The full paper can be read HERE.