Perovskite Solar Cells Set New Efficiency Record

SYDNEY — Engineers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney announced on Dec. 2 that a world efficiency record has been broken for perovskite solar cells. The cells are known for an inexpensive and functional design and now thanks to researchers, their energy conversion efficiency rating has been improved.

As a result of research performed by Anita Ho-Baillie, a senior research fellow at the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW and her team of 11 researchers, perovskite solar cells are now larger than their previous designs and have a 12.1 percent energy-efficiency rating.

“These results place UNSW amongst the best groups in the world producing state-of-the-art, high-performance perovskite solar cells,” said Ho-Baillie in a statement. “I think we can get to 24 percent within a year or so.”

Her team has also achieved an 18 percent efficiency rating on a 0.3-inch single perovskite cell, and an 11.5 percent efficiency rating for a 6.2-inch four-cell perovskite mini-module, according to a statement from UNSW.

Perovskite solar cells were first made popular by researchers in 2009. At that point, they were marketed with a 3.8 percent energy-efficiency rating and were not as easy to produce. While most of the world’s solar cells are made from silicon crystals, these cells are made from hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, which acts as the harvests lights and gives the cell its flexible design.

“The versatility of solution deposition of perovskite makes it possible to spray-coat, print or paint on solar cells,” said Ho-Baillie in a statement.

One of the major drawbacks of working with these cells is that they are not durable and can be easily damaged if left unprotected or outdoors for an extended period of time. Ho-Baillie and her team of researchers are confident these drawbacks can be improved by continuing research.

The research is part of a collaboration backed by $3.6 million in funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s  (ARENA) solar excellence initiative.