solar cells tagged posts

Solar Energy breakthrough: Perovskite cell with Greater Stability, Efficiency

Photo shows the new perovskite solar cell.
The inverted architecture of this perovskite solar cell, coupled with surface engineering, enabled researchers to improve efficiency and stability. Photo from NREL

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) made a technological breakthrough and constructed a perovskite solar cell with the dual benefits of being both highly efficient and highly stable.

The work was done in collaboration with scientists from the University of Toledo, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and the University of California-San Diego.

A unique architectural structure enabled the researchers to record a certified stabilized efficiency of 24% under 1-sun illumination, making it the highest reported of its kind...

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Scientists shave ‘hairs’ off nanocrystals to improve their electronic properties

University of Chicago graduate student Josh Portner collects x-ray scattering data from tiny “supercrystals.” Scientists hope such supernanocrystals could form the basis of new technologies thanks to a new method to help them talk to one another electronically.
Credit: Talapin lab/University of Chicago

Chemists could yield future devices such as next-gen displays and solar cells. A new study introduces a breakthrough in making nanocrystals function together electronically. The research may open the doors to future devices with new abilities.

You can carry an entire computer in your pocket today because the technological building blocks have been getting smaller and smaller since the 1950s...

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New Efficiency Record for Solar Cell Technology

Solar cells made using perovskite and organic materials are flexible, light, low cost and ultra-thin. They are ideal for powering vehicles, boats, and more.

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set a new record in the power conversion efficiency of solar cells made using perovskite and organic materials. This technological breakthrough paves the way for flexible, light-weight, low cost and ultra-thin photovoltaic cells which are ideal for powering vehicles, boats, blinds and other applications.

“Technologies for clean and renewable energy are extremely important for carbon reduction. Solar cells that directly convert solar energy into electricity are among the most promising clean energy technologies...

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A Safer, Greener way to make Solar Cells: Toxic Solvent Replaced

Researcher Carys Worsley at work in the SPECIFIC labs, identifying a safer, greener way to make solar cells
Researcher Carys Worsley at work in the SPECIFIC labs, identifying a safer, greener way to make solar cells 

Scientists at SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Swansea University, have found a way to replace the toxic, unsustainable solvents currently needed to make the next generation of solar technology.

Printed carbon perovskite solar cells have been described as a likely front runner to the market because they are extremely efficient at converting light to electricity, cheap and easy to make.

A major barrier to the large-scale manufacture and commercialisation of these cells is the solvents used to control crystallisation of the perovskite during fabrication: this is because they are made from unsustainable materials and are banned in many countries due to their toxicity...

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