Scientists Create Ultra-Thin Perovskite Solar Panels, a Cost-Effective Alternative to Silicone Ones

A groundbreaking development has enabled researchers at the University of Oxford to create the world's first flexible solar panels, thin enough to be coated on various objects like phone cases and electric vehicles, thereby transforming them into portable power generators. These new panels, only slightly over one micron thick, offer significant advantages over traditional silicon-based solar cells, which are approximately 150 times thicker but provide a similar level of energy efficiency. This is prepared by SSP.

The innovative solar panels are made from perovskite, hailed in the industry as the "holy grail" of solar power due to its potential to create flexible, lightweight panels more cost-effectively than current silicon models. Perovskite is a synthetic form of calcium titanium oxide that efficiently generates an electric charge in sunlight, akin to silicon. Despite its promise, perovskite has faced challenges, particularly its susceptibility to moisture and degradation when exposed to air, limiting its practical use in traditional outdoor solar panels.

Researchers have managed to surmount these hurdles by stabilizing perovskite in layered, tandem cell structures that combine it with silicon cells, or via a "multi-junction" approach that uses multiple photosensitive layers responsive to different light wavelengths. This advancement has produced a durable solar device with an impressive 27% efficiency rate in converting sunlight to energy, surpassing the approximate 22% efficiency typical of current silicon panels.

Junke Wang, a physics professor at Oxford University, noted the potential application of perovskite coatings across diverse surfaces such as car roofs, building structures, and even mobile phone backs. He expressed optimism that this technology could significantly reduce the reliance on silicon panels and large solar farms in the future. Moving forward, researchers believe the efficiency of perovskite-based solar cells could exceed 45%, the upper limit based on current understandings of physical constraints, thereby enabling significantly more power generation from smaller solar materials, even in low light conditions.