The University of New South Wales engineers have achieved the highest efficiency for a perovskite PV cell of its size reports PV magazine.
Perovskites are one of the most popular emerging areas of solar PV research. As a material for thin-film solar PVs, the material is not expensive, it’s simple to produce and does not require rare earth materials. It also boasts impressive efficiency levels.
The perovskite research hit another scientific and energy milestone when a researcher from the University Of New South Wales (UNSW) announced that her team has reached a combined size and efficiency rating of 12.1% on a 16cm2 PV cell.
Perovskites have been created in laboratory settings with efficiencies over 22%. However, this is usually done on very small cells. According to UNSW, their solar cell, produced by a team led by Dr. Anita Ho-Baillie, is ten times larger than the other high-efficiency PV cell on record.
The cell efficiency produced by the team has been independently confirmed by the international testing center, Newport Corporation. According to Ho-Baillie it is a hot area for research and there are many teams competing to advance photovoltaic design. The acquired results place UNSW among the best groups in the world, producing state-of-the-art, high-performance perovskite solar cells. She also added that they can have the efficiency level up to 24% within a year or so.
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Featured Image Credit: Jon Olav Eikenes