Scientists from the University of Oxford have today (August 9) unveiled a breakthrough in solar PV technology via an ultra-thin material that can be applied to “almost any building” and delivers a conversion efficiency of more than 27%.
The Oxford scientists have described the new thin-film perovskite material, which uses a multi-junction approach, as a means to generate ever-increasing amounts of solar electricity without the need for silicon-based solar panels.
“In just five years of experimenting with our stacked or multi-junction approach, we increased energy conversion efficiency from around 6% to over 27%, close to the limits of what single-layer solar photovoltaics can achieve today” , said Dr. Shuaifeng Hu, postdoctoral fellow in physics at the University of Oxford.
“We believe that this approach could enable photovoltaic devices to achieve much greater efficiency over time, in excess of 45%.”
The technology stacks multiple light-absorbing layers in one solar cell, utilizing a wider range of the light spectrum and generating more energy from the same amount of sunlight.
The University of Oxford said the energy efficiency level of modern solar panels is around 22%. So if more time and resources are spent on the new technology, it could contribute to the global energy transition as it becomes more efficient.
The technology brings a new level of innovation with its thinness. At just over one micron thick, it is almost 150 times thinner than a silicon wafer.
Unlike current solar photovoltaics, which are typically applied to silicon panels, this technology can be used on almost any surface. The scientists believe that this approach will further reduce the cost of solar energy and help make solar energy the most sustainable form of renewable energy.
Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) issued its certification ahead of the publication of the researchers’ scientific research later this year.
“By using new materials that can be coated, we have shown that we can replicate silicon and perform better, while gaining flexibility. This is important because it promises more solar energy without the need for so many silicon-based panels or purpose-built solar farms,” said Dr Junke Wang, postdoctoral fellow at Oxford University Physics.
The scientists added that further breakthroughs promise additional cost savings as new materials, such as thin-film perovskite, reduce the need for silicon panels and purpose-built solar farms.
Oxford PV talks about the suitability of perovskites for utility-scale solar energy
Oxford PV, a British company spun out of Oxford University Physics in 2010, recently spoke to our sister site PV Tech Premium about the use of perovskite technology and its suitability for utility-scale solar projects.
CEO David Ward argued that the future of solar as the lowest-cost energy source lies with silicon-perovskite tandem cells of the type that Oxford PV is trying to bring to market, starting with high-end niche applications such as aerospace.
“We expect meaningful scale within that market by 2025,” Ward said. “We are strategically valuable [in the specialised market]not just on an LCOE basis like on a utility scale.”
Ward added that Oxford PV would then look to enter the residential market in 2026, “and then in 2026 and into 2027 we will have large-scale production up and running (we hope) and that is our main access to utilities. .”
In addition to the new production facility, located in Brandenburg, Germany, Ward also discussed the topic of solar cell degradation.
Ward said Oxford PV is “comfortable” with its stance on degradation: “It is in line with customer requirements, they are very happy to take the product in its current form.”
“Our first shipments will go out in a few months. She [the customers] really want to get access to the technology and the modules in the real world to start testing them, because what they want is access to the gigawatt scale of this stuff.
