The limit of theoretical efficiency of solar panels increases by 33% – pv magazine USA



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Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have discovered what they describe as conclusive evidence that perovskites offer an "effective multiplication of carriers", thus increasing the efficiency limit of the drug. a layer of 33% to 44%.

Perovskites, perovskites, perovskites – you could think that the product makes the planet run with the number of titles, but that, for now, the project still has no place on the commercial market of solar energy. There is, however, serious progress. OxfordPV in the United Kingdom and Australians in Greatcell are both advancing, with research flocking to many laboratories around the world.

One of the main advantages of perovskites is the attractive price, thanks to easier production. However, it has often been suggested that perovskite products may become more effective via a property called "carrier multiplication". But now, evidence of this superior theoretical efficacy, according to doctors Chris de Weerd (left) and Leyre Gomez (right), was "obtained using three independent experimental approaches and is conclusive".

Leyre Gomez (right) and Dr. Chris de Weerd (left) with a sample of the material studied.

The fundamental significance of this research is that the ~ 33% Shockley-Queisser limit for a single layer of silicon-based solar cells is now the ~ 44% Gomez-Weerd limit for a single layer of perovskite solar cells . From the application point of view, this means that the same hardware that generated 300 or 400 requests, a panel, scales (but not inverters !!) and human labor, can potentially produce 33% more electricity with exactly the same costs.

De Weerd, who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on the basis of this research and other research last week, said:

Until now, multiplication of carriers has not been reported for perovskites. The fact that we have now found that this has a fundamental impact on this future material. For example, this shows that perovskites can be used to build very efficient photodetectors and, in the future, perhaps solar cells.

The fundamental aspect of the "multiplication of carriers" is as follows: Generally, the excess energy of photons heat from a solar panel is released by heat. However, if the excess energy of a standard event creating electrons reaches a certain threshold, an interaction between this "hot electron" and other "valence electrons", essentially holes, can take place, and this second electron can generate electricity from the reactor. same photon.

Of course, we have not exceeded the efficiency limits of 33% silicon-based solar cells with modern products, and – most important – nearly 0% of the solar energy currently installed in the world is based on perovskite. However, research is progressing.

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