Photovoltaic "rookie" perovskite batteries emerge

The World Tide of Technological InnovationReporter Liu Xia from our newspaperIn April of this year, the Group of Seven Ministers of Climate, Energy, and Environment issued a joint statement stating that they will "promote technological innovation in areas such as perovskite solar cells". The "emerging star" in the energy field, perovskite solar cells, has attracted strong attention

The World Tide of Technological Innovation

Reporter Liu Xia from our newspaper

In April of this year, the Group of Seven Ministers of Climate, Energy, and Environment issued a joint statement stating that they will "promote technological innovation in areas such as perovskite solar cells". The "emerging star" in the energy field, perovskite solar cells, has attracted strong attention.

Recently, Nihon Keizai Shimbun also gathered some experts to assess the popularity of 11 decarbonization technologies that have attracted great attention in five fields, including solar energy, wind energy, nuclear power, carbon dioxide recovery, and found that among the fields that are about to be commercialized, the most attractive one is the next generation of solar cells - perovskite batteries, which may become the "game changer" in the energy industry.

Experts point out that perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention in the revolution of reducing photovoltaic costs due to their high efficiency, low cost, low energy consumption, and diverse application scenarios. However, their durability and stability still need to be further improved.

Next generation technology is poised to emerge

In 2013, Science magazine selected the top ten breakthroughs and perovskite solar cells as the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technology.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun pointed out in its report that at present, perovskite batteries mainly include single junction perovskite batteries and stacked perovskite batteries. Layered perovskite cells refer to cells that can be stacked on top of each other or on top of traditional crystalline silicon solar cells, forming a "series" cell that can absorb a wider solar spectrum.

According to a recent report on the website of the Wall Street Journal in the United States, the theoretical conversion efficiency of single junction perovskite batteries can reach 33%, while the theoretical conversion efficiency of perovskite/silicon series batteries can reach 43%, both exceeding the theoretical conversion efficiency of single crystal silicon batteries by 29.4%. In June this year, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology said that the conversion efficiency of the perovskite/silicon series solar cell developed by the university reached 33.7%, a world record.

In addition, perovskite batteries also have the characteristics of being light, thin, and flexible, which can be laid on walls or train roofs that cannot be covered by traditional silicon based batteries. The operation process is very simple, and the price is almost halved. According to the calculation of Hiroshi Setagawa, a professor at the University of Tokyo, by 2030, Japan's perovskite battery will cover a maximum area of 470 square kilometers, with a power generation capacity of 6 million kilowatts, equivalent to six nuclear power stations.

Gregory Mark, project director of the French Island Photovoltaic Research Institute, stated that the calcium titanium layer is much thinner than the silicon layer, and the material used is reduced by about 1/100. Moreover, these materials can be processed at lower temperatures, thereby saving energy and reducing emissions.

Leading to an international investment boom

Under the global wave of decarbonization, the performance of silicon based batteries is approaching its theoretical limit, and perovskite solar technology has become a "hot potato" in the eyes of many enterprises.

The European PEPPERONI project was launched on November 1 last year, aiming to promote the manufacturing and capacity of stacked solar photovoltaic cells in the European continent, focusing on perovskite/silicon stacked cells. This project will last for four years, and will be jointly funded by the "European Horizon" program and the Education in Switzerland, Research and Innovation Secretariat.

Voltec Solar, a French photovoltaic module manufacturer, cooperates with the French Island Photovoltaic Research Institute to build a 5-gigawatt perovskite/silicon series solar cell "Ultimate Factories" by 2030. Roger Drozdovsky Streer, general manager of the French Island Photovoltaic Research Institute, said that this is a technological revolution. Compared with the best efficiency that can be achieved by traditional technology at present, it can not only achieve 30% efficiency at the photovoltaic module level, but also reduce energy consumption and material consumption by using recycled materials. Lucas Weiss, General Manager of Voltec Solar, emphasized that series technology will be the dominant photovoltaic technology for the next decade.

Oxford Photovoltaic Company in the UK plans to launch its commercial perovskite/silicon stacked battery this year, with an expected conversion efficiency of 27%. The company also plans to expand its pilot factory near Berlin, Germany, and expand its production scale to 10 gigawatts by around 2030.

Durability and reliability urgently need improvement

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) website, although perovskite shows great potential and multiple companies have started commercial production, durability remains the biggest obstacle it faces. After 25 years of use, silicon solar panels can still maintain a power output of 25%, but perovskite batteries are declining rapidly.

However, scientists have made significant progress: the "lifespan" of perovskite solar cells has increased from the initial few hours to weeks and months, and the latest "out of the box" batteries can have a lifespan of several years.

Martin Green, an engineering professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said that perovskite manufacturers need to prove that the service life of battery panels is 25-30 years, which is the industry standard. Chris Keys, Chief Technology Officer of Oxford Photovoltaics, stated that the company has designed its perovskite/silicon stacked cells to have a lifespan of 25 years or more.

Tony Bonassi, the head of MIT's photovoltaic research laboratory, pointed out that one advantage of perovskites is that they are relatively easy to manufacture in the laboratory, their chemical composition is easy to assemble, but the materials are easy to bond together and separate at room temperature.

To address this issue, some researchers use various protective materials to encapsulate perovskite, protecting it from the effects of air and humidity.

A study conducted by Bonassi suggests that once the lifespan of perovskite exceeds 10 years and its manufacturing cost is low, it can replace silicon based solar cells in many large public utilities.

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