Perovskite
A new family of materials that could make solar cheaper, lighter and more efficient.
What perovskites are
"Perovskite" describes a particular crystal structure. Certain perovskite materials absorb sunlight extremely well, even as very thin films, and can be made at low temperatures by printing or coating, unlike silicon, which needs very high temperatures.
Why researchers are excited
In little more than a decade, laboratory perovskite cells have reached efficiencies comparable to the best silicon cells. Their properties can also be tuned to absorb different colours of light, which makes them ideal partners for silicon in tandem cells.
The catch
Perovskites can degrade when exposed to moisture, heat and light over time, and many contain small amounts of lead. Making them last for decades outdoors, at large scale, is the main challenge.
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- Very high efficiency potential
- Low-temperature, potentially low-cost manufacturing
- Thin, light and potentially flexible
Limitations
- Durability is not yet proven over decades
- Many formulations contain lead
- Scaling from lab to factory is difficult
Current development
Several companies have begun pilot production, mostly of perovskite-silicon tandem panels. Field tests over the coming years will show how well they hold up.
Further reading
- Perovskite solar cell (Wikipedia)Science and progress
- NREL best research-cell efficiency chartTrack perovskite records over time