New 'Miracle Material' Helps Scientists Break Solar Power Record

A solar power world record has been now broken with a "miracle material" called ?perovskite. This material allowed researchers to pass the 30% efficiency barrier with silicon solar cells for the first time.

The research was undertaken by a team from various universities and institutes in the Netherlands. They used a tandem solar cell to complement traditional silicon-based cells. The latter have an energy conversion efficiency of around 22% and the properties of perovskite.

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Why achieving more than 30% efficiency is a big deal

According to the researchers, achieving more than 30% efficiency with the tandem device marked "a big step in accelerating the energy transition" and would also help reduce dependency on fossil fuels.

Dr. Mehrdad Najafi from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) told The Independent that "this type of solar cell features a highly transparent back contact that allows over 93 per cent of the near infrared light to reach the bottom device."

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Researchers used advanced optical and electrical simulations as a guiding force for the development of this miracle material.?

Perovskite has an array of uses and scientists think that this "miracle material" can help enable ultra-high-speed communications as well as improve the production of renewable energy.

Professor Gianluca Coletti, the programme manager of Tandem PV said that they know have all the ingredients to "control the layers that are needed to reach over 30% efficiency."

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Essentially, they want to use their knowledge to bring this make this tech even more efficient, much beyond the 30% threshold. Results from the research were presented at the World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-8) in Milan.

What do you think about this miracle material and its transformative properties? Let us know in the comments below.?For?more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.

References

Cuthbertson, A. (2022a, October 3). Solar power world record broken with ‘miracle material.’ The Independent. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/solar-power-record-perovskite-renewable-energy-b2191443.html