Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed an ultra-thin layer of material that can be applied to roofs, cars, and even phones to transform them into solar panels.
This ultra-thin and flexible material is composed of light-absorbing perovskite layers that are just over one micron thick. The new material is 150 times thinner than traditional silicon wafers and offers 5% greater energy efficiency compared to single-layer silicon solar cells.
Dr. Shauifeng Hu, a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford's Department of Physics, believes that this approach will allow photovoltaic devices to achieve significantly higher efficiencies—exceeding 45%.
The new technology may also reduce the cost of solar energy. Due to the material's thinness and flexibility, it can be applied to nearly any surface, which lowers construction and installation costs and can increase the number of solar power plants.
However, this technology is still in the research phase. The university does not mention the long-term stability of the new perovskite panels. While the increase in solar energy efficiency from 6% to 27% over five years is impressive, the stability of perovskites has always been limited compared to photovoltaic technology, as noted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Over the past decade, solar energy has become a more affordable energy option. The cost of photovoltaic technology has dropped by 90% in the last 10 years, according tothe data from Global Change Data Lab.
Source: Engadget
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