This article is included in the following additional categories:
Perovskite solar cells have the potential to revolutionize the renewable energy sector by offering significant efficiency improvements over traditional silicon-based photovoltaics, but as industry aims to commercialize the technology, researchers are grappling with significant stability challenges that must be overcome before it can be widely adopted.
The future and possibilities of perovskites
Halide perovskites, a family of materials named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovsky, have seen significant improvements in solar cell efficiency over the past decade. Since first reported efficiencies of around 3% in 2009, perovskite cells have improved rapidly, now achieving efficiencies of over 25%. This rapid progress has attracted the attention of both researchers and industry players, who see perovskites as a promising way to enable high-performance, low-cost solar cells.
One of the main advantages of perovskite technology is its versatility: these materials can be tuned to respond to different parts of the solar spectrum, making them ideal for use in tandem devices. When combined with silicon or other perovskite layers, these cells have the potential to exceed the theoretical efficiency limits of single-junction solar cells, opening up new possibilities for harvesting solar energy.
Stability: the Achilles heel of perovskite technology
Despite their promising performance, perovskite solar cells face significant challenges in terms of stability and durability. These materials are susceptible to degradation when exposed to moisture, oxygen, light, heat, or applied voltage. This vulnerability limits their operational lifetime and makes them currently unsuitable for commercial applications that require reliable performance over decades.
Recent research from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has revealed a potential cause of this instability: the scientists discovered that there are pits in the crystal microstructure of perovskite films that cause them to deteriorate over time. By removing these pits through chemical engineering techniques, the researchers were able to create a perovskite film with significantly improved stability.
While this breakthrough points the way for the future, significant work remains to be done. The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has identified stability and durability as one of the key challenges that must be addressed for perovskite technology to be commercially successful. SETO is targeting an operational lifespan of at least 20 years, and preferably 30 years or more, for grid-level electricity production.
Commercialization challenges and future prospects
While the scientific community is working to improve the stability of perovskite solar cells, new challenges are emerging towards commercialization: Scaling up the manufacturing process, addressing the potential environmental impacts of lead-based perovskites, and establishing standardized testing protocols are all crucial steps in bringing this technology to market.
The industry needs to develop reliable large-scale production methods that can maintain the high efficiencies achieved in laboratory environments, and financial institutions need robust validation and performance validation data to deem perovskite technology bankable and worthy of investment.
Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of perovskite solar cells continue to drive research and development efforts. If scientists and engineers can overcome stability hurdles and address scaling issues, perovskite technology could usher in a new era of highly efficient, cost-effective solar energy production.