The project’ s goal is to lift perovskite solar cell efficiency to 26 per cent. 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.
The achievement demonstrated the importance of supporting early stage renewable energy technologies:“ In the future, this world-leading R & D could deliver efficiency wins for households and businesses through rooftop solar as well as for big solar projects like those being advanced through ARENA’ s investment in large-scale solar.”
- Ivor Frischknecht, ARENA’ s CEO
To make a perovskite solar cells, engineers grow crystals into a structure known as‘ perovskite’, named after Lev Perovski, the Russian mineralogist who discovered it. They first dissolve a selection of compounds in a liquid to make the‘ ink’, then deposit this on a specialised glass which can conduct electricity. When the ink dries, it leaves behind a thin film that crystallises on top of the glass when mild heat is applied, resulting in a thin layer of perovskite crystals. The tricky part is growing a thin film of perovskite crystals so the resulting solar cell absorbs a maximum amount of light. Worldwide, engineers are working to create smooth and regular layers of perovskite with large crystal grain sizes in order to increase photovoltaic yields.
Ho-Baillie, who obtained her PhD at UNSW in 2004, is a former chief engineer for Solar Sailor, an Australian company which integrates solar cells into purpose-designed commercial marine ferries which currently ply waterways in Sydney, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
www. EQMagPro. com EQ December 2016 27