CIGS tagged posts

A perovskite-CIGS solar cell developed by UCLA Samueli researchers converts 22.4 percent of incoming energy from the sun, a record for this type of cell.
Credit: UCLA Samueli Engineering

Materials scientists from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have developed a highly efficient thin-film solar cell that generates more energy from sunlight than typical solar panels, thanks to its double-layer design. The device is made by spraying a thin layer of perovskite – an inexpensive compound of lead and iodine that has been shown to be very efficient at capturing energy from sunlight – onto a commercially available solar cell. The solar cell that forms the bottom layer of the device is made of a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenide, or CIGS.

The team’s new cell converts 22...

Dr Xiaojing Hao of UNSW’s Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics holding the new CZTS solar cells. Credit: Quentin Jones/UNSW

‘Zero-energy’ buildings – which generate as much power as they consume – are now much closer after a team at UNSW, Australia achieved the world’s highest efficiency using flexible solar cells that are non-toxic and cheap to make. Until now, the promise of ‘zero-energy’ buildings been held back by 2 hurdles: the cost of the thin-film solar cells (used in façades, roofs and windows), and the fact they’re made from scarce, and highly toxic, materials.

NREL, USA’s National Renewable Energy Lab, confirmed this world leading 7.6% efficiency in a 1cm2 area CZTS cell this month...