A German research study group has actually established a tandem solar cell that reaches 24 percent effectiveness– measured according to the portion of photons transformed into electrical energy (i.e. electrons). The solar cell was developed by Professor Dr. Thomas Riedls group at the University of Wuppertal together with scientists from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cologne and other task partners from the Universities of Potsdam and Tübingen as well as the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschng in Düsseldorf. Both of these technologies require substantially less product and energy for their production compared to conventional silicon cells, making it possible to make solar cells even more sustainable.
The left-hand side reveals a called tandem solar cell in the solar simulator at the University of Wuppertal, the right-hand side the apparatus for determining the energy levels using photoelectron spectroscopy at the University of Cologne Credit: left: Cedric Kreusel, Wuppertal, right: Selina Olthof, Cologne.
As sunshine includes various spectral parts, i.e. colors, effective solar batteries have to convert as much of this sunlight as possible into electrical power. This can be accomplished with so-called tandem cells, in which different semiconductor materials are integrated in the solar cell, each of which takes in different varieties of the solar spectrum. In the present research study the organic semiconductors were utilized for the ultraviolet and noticeable parts of the light, while the perovskite can efficiently soak up in the near-infrared. Similar combinations of materials have currently been checked out in the past, today the research team prospered in substantially increasing their efficiency.
At the start of the task, the worlds finest perovskite/organic tandem cells had a performance of around 20 percent. “To attain such high efficiency, the losses at the interfaces between the products within the solar cells had to be reduced,” stated Dr. Selina Olthof of the University of Colognes Institute of Physical Chemistry.
As adjoin, a thin layer of indium oxide was integrated into the solar battery with a thickness of merely 1.5 nanometres to keep losses as low as possible. The scientists in Cologne played an essential role in examining the energetic and electrical properties of the interfaces and the adjoin in order to determine loss processes and more optimize the parts. Simulations by the group in Wuppertal revealed that tandem cells with an effectiveness of more than 30 percent could be attained in the future with this method.
Reference: “Perovskite/organic tandem solar cells with indium oxide interconnect” 13 April 2022, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-022-04455-0.
A German research study group has actually established a tandem solar cell that reaches 24 percent effectiveness– measured according to the portion of photons transformed into electrical power (i.e. electrons). The solar cell was established by Professor Dr. Thomas Riedls group at the University of Wuppertal together with researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cologne and other job partners from the Universities of Potsdam and Tübingen as well as the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschng in Düsseldorf.
Substantial improvements in their performance– i.e., more watts of electrical power per watt of solar radiation gathered– can hardly be expected. That makes it all the more required to establish new solar technologies that can make a definitive contribution to the energy shift. Both of these innovations need considerably less product and energy for their production compared to traditional silicon cells, making it possible to make solar cells even more sustainable.
“To attain such high effectiveness, the losses at the interfaces between the materials within the solar cells had actually to be reduced,” stated Dr. Selina Olthof of the University of Colognes Institute of Physical Chemistry.