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I still haven’t recovered from last week’s news and the idea of climate change has been on my mind this whole time. Since the solution seems to lie in replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources, I’ve been digging the Internet for information on the latest solutions in solar technology.
And guess what I’ve found! Perovskite solar cells, ladies, and gentlemen! For everyone who thinks the solar industry hasn’t moved past the good ol’ roof panels, like the ones your aunt Lucy had installed fifteen years ago, better get ready for a major surprise.
As usual, I’d like to start by reviewing the essentials. How does solar energy work? Without going into too many scientific details (there might be time for that in the future), we can say that solar panels, composed of so–called photovoltaic cells, capture the sunlight that falls onto them and transform it into electric power.
What are those photovoltaic (PV) cells, you ask me? They are nothing else but very thin semiconductor silicon wafers. When put together, they build into a module, modules build into a panel and finally various panels create a solar project (system).
Another term that is particularly important in the solar industry is panel efficiency, which refers to the percentage of captured sunlight that the solar cells manage to convert into usable energy. While for older versions of solar panels this number stood around 18%, more modern versions see their conversion efficiency raise up to and beyond 22%.
What is so great about using sunlight to power our world? First of all, it is a clean energy source, which means it doesn’t add directly to greenhouse gas emissions and is in consequence almost completely friendly to the environment. Second of all, it is renewable (at least for the moment).
We are in no imminent danger of “running out” of sunlight and can be pretty confident of its supply during the next… thousands of years. One of the downsides, however, is that we can only capture solar energy when the sun shines, which makes this technology completely dependent on weather and day/night cycles.
Even though solar technology is in constant progress and development, it still requires a substantial investment that promises to pay itself off over several years. Rather elevated cost is what has been keeping the solar industry from expanding even more.
The good news is, however, that as our society is becoming more and more environmentally conscious, we begin to better understand the long-term benefits of solar energy. An array of public incentives, grants, and subsidies is also playing an important role in convincing individuals and businesses to gradually move away from coal and oil. Look at the statistics, numbers don’t lie!
When we think of solar panels, we tend to picture those sturdy, rather heavy, and not-so-elegant boards we’ve seen mounted on many rooftops around us. But let me tell you – those panels are yesterday’s news. What the solar industry has to offer today is nothing alike! The era of third-generation thin and flexible cells has finally arrived.
Perovskite solar cells – as this is what I am talking about – are among the most recent industry novelties and a potential game-changer in the race for better efficiency rates.
Those of you who are into geology might recognize the name “perovskite” as the name of a mineral compound, also called calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3), with a characteristic crystallographic structure. However, modern science has adopted this name for all structures of similar type and the solar industry has found a promising new alternative in it.
What is so special about perovskite solar cells? From the energy point of view, they are superconductors and can increase solar conversion efficiency to around 25%. Another fantastic feature of perovskite cells is that they can be manufactured as thin and flexible film, which opens a world of endless usage possibilities.
Solar panels made of perovskite cells can now be integrated into building designs. Due to their transparency, they can be placed directly on windows and remain practically unnoticed.
They can also be bent and customized into any desired shape and color and used in such bold projects as, for example:
One of the pioneers in perovskite technology is a Poland-based company called Saule Technologies. With the funding received from Huis Ten Bosch Co. Ltd. (Japan), they have implemented a revolutionary method of coating flexible foils with perovskites invented in 2013 by Olga Malinkiewicz.
2021 has been a huge step forward for Saule Technologies: their brand-new production line has been launched and first contracts with leading solar product distributors have been signed. Go perovskite!
One of their top-selling products is perovskite-coated electric charging stations. They can be used by any electric vehicle – from car to scooter – are aesthetically attractive, and extremely convenient. They also have tremendous marketing potential – just think of all the possible ads that can be printed on perovskite film covering almost the entire station.
I’ve learned the news about perovskite solar cells with great enthusiasm. I’m overjoyed to see all this talent and creativity deposited into such useful technology.
