The race for high-efficiency, low-cost solar is heating up, as scientists discovered a potential way to improve one of the most promising solar cell materials: perovskite. According to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the answer may be in utilizing the alkali metal rubidium.
Perovskite is a mineral that offers many of the same benefits as silicon but is more lightweight, flexible, cost-effective, and efficient. Researchers have been developing panels using this material for a while now, but they've run into a few problems along the way.
One key issue with perovskite is phase segregation, which is when components of the solar cell separate over time. Rubidium can be used to stabilize the formulation, but that reduces efficiency over time. This is because the rubidium eventually forms a secondary phase that makes it less effective.
Scientists now think they may have an answer for the rubidium riddle. They're using "lattice strain," or a designed distortion in the perovskite's atomic structure, to stabilize the rubidium. This technique has the added benefit of reducing non-radiative combination, which, in short, improves efficiency.
Other solar energy innovations involving perovskite have been making news lately. Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Humboldt University Berlin paired the material with copper indium gallium selenide solar cells. The result was a world record 24.6% efficiency rate.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand for solar energy is at an all-time high. However, though prices are dropping, the initial cost of this planet-friendly energy solution remains the biggest hurdles for many. Perovskite may be the answer.
A more efficient, cost-effective solar cell can reduce the overall cost of upgrading to solar. Once that figure drops, more homeowners will be capable of enjoying the estimated $100,000 in lifetime savings solar energy offers. On top of that, they'll also enjoy reduced pollution and greater energy security.
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