Scientists from Australia have taken the polluting bite out of solar cell production by adding fluoride to a water-based solution.
The innovation has allowed experts from Queensland University of Technology to remove toxic solvents from a mix that had been used to craft perovskite solar cells. It's a big win for the cleaner energy source, according to a summary published by Tech Xplore.
Perovskites are a low-cost, crystal-structured mineral group with great potential for converting sun rays to electricity. Researchers have created cells that can garner greater than 26% efficiency, but they haven't been commercialized yet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
A hurdle has been a much shorter lifespan — only a couple of years for perovskites versus up to three decades for conventional panels, often made from silicon, per Solar Magazine. EnergySage added that most solar panels on the market have at least a 20% efficiency rate, with some exceeding 22%.
Toxic production methods have been another setback, which the Queensland experts said they intend to remedy.
The solution is a lead/fluoride combination that improves film quality and other features crucial to collecting solar radiation. Fluoride ions also have a high electronegativity, which reduces energy loss and improves charge transport, per Tech Xplore.
"Even more exciting is the improved operational and environmental stability, which brings us closer to scalable, green manufacturing," research and study author Minh Tam Hoang said in the report.
Another area of research, cleaning up solar cell production, has seen breakthroughs, too. A team from Japan is investigating whether a tin sulfide product can be made cheaply with a planet-friendly technique, for example.
The ever-improving panel tech is being used on a growing number of surfaces, as well, including train tracks and balconies. Rooftops, a common setting, remain a great option for homeowners who are trying to lower their power bills and reduce heat-trapping air pollution.
A government study found that households with a panel system save an average of $700 annually, even after expenses are taken into account. What's more, tax breaks remain to help offset the costs, often up to 30%. Adding battery backups can expand the panels' benefits by storing the electricity for later use or even by monetizing it as part of a virtual power plant. The programs provide a way to sell extra juice to the grid.
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Solar energy growth is also producing waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the country will have a million tons of panel waste by 2030, creating pollution concerns during production and in their afterlife. But processes are being developed to recycle valuable materials inside the solar cells. And Queensland's research is meant to tackle the manufacturing worries. The more cleanly produced cells have achieved an 18% efficiency rate so far.
The transition to renewable energy is crucial to reducing heat-trapping air pollution linked to increased severe weather risks and other worst-case scenarios that experts warn we could experience if fossil fuels continue to be burned at the current pace.
"This research provides an effective strategy to produce stable, high-efficiency [perovskite cells] using water solvent — making the technology more viable for commercial production and reducing environmental impacts," the Queensland team wrote, per Tech Xplore.
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