Perovskite solar cells

French researchers have developed PV modules with an area of 11.6 square centimeters for indoor applications. They said the achieved efficiency level marks a world record for a flexible perovskite device larger than 10 square centimeters.

A new US Department of Energy report describes the challenges of commercializing perovskite technology for the solar energy sector.

An Indian research group has built a perovskite cell that has a metal contact based on copper, instead of expensive gold. The device showed almost the same efficiency as a cell developed with gold metallization but its stability was much lower. In order to overcome this issue, the scientists suggest using a metal contact made of a thin layer of gold and a thicker, overlying copper layer.

U.S. thin-film manufacturer First Solar and Bill Gates-owned Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) are among the investors in the new company, which is called CubicPV and is expected to develop multi-junction perovskite solar cells with efficiencies of around 30%.

International researchers have placed a low-dimensional metal-halide perovskite capping layer on top of a metal-halide perovskite film to provide hermetically sealed encapsulation and enhanced photocarrier properties. The cell has a short-circuit current density of 23.5 mA.cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 1.15 V, and a fill factor of 0.779.

Scientists in India have simulated a perovskite cell based on methylammonium tin iodide which they claim may achieve a short circuit current density of 25.97 mA per square centimeter, an open-circuit voltage of 1.203 V, and a fill factor of 87.79%. The cell is composed of a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, a titanium oxide layer, a methylammonium tin iodide perovskite film, a copper oxide hole transport layer (HTL), and a layer made of gold (Au).

Scientists have set a new efficiency record for a single-junction perovskite solar cell at 25.6%. The cell additionally showed operational stability for 450 hours, and intense electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of more than 10%.

A numercal study by researchers at India’s Chitkara University has shown enhanced charge extraction in metal-perovskite-metal back-contact solar cell structure through electrostatic doping. The proposed design yielded a 59.4% improvement in power conversion efficiency over previously reported structures.

Scientists in India modeled the performance of tin-based perovskite (methylammonium tin triiodide) finding that with careful optimizations the material could achieve efficiencies beyond 28%.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is funding the research to develop high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, including those with passivated emitter and rear contact structure, and perovskites.