A new solar cell material could change the face of power generation.
Technology is evolving at lightspeed, and with it, many solutions to most of the problems faced in the solar industry are being developed.
In the latest scientific innovation, plastic is now a significant contender to be one of the strongest materials for solar panels.
Will plastic solar cells finally become the ultimate choice for researchers and engineers when it comes to designing solar panels?
How the solar industry is ready for the next generation
Change is as good as a holiday, and the solar industry could certainly use a break, or rather a breakthrough.
For years, silicon has been crowned king of solar cells, but the world’s needs have changed. This has signaled a desire to shift towards a new ruling material in the industry.
But why is the shift to a new generation of solar necessary?
Silicon cell production is highly energy-intensive, which ultimately defeats the purpose of solar energy as an alternative power solution.
Moreover, high-purity silicon and silver have become expensive and face supply chain issues.
Experts also believe that silicon is near its theoretical efficiency limit and will no longer meet higher requirements. It is thus inevitable that the world and the solar industry are ready for the next generation.
However, it does raise the question: What will this new generation of solar look like?
Bringing the next generation to life
Experts worldwide have been focusing on the future of solar power. The key to this future is high efficiency and stability. To achieve this future, several materials have been explored to replace silicon solar cells.
Flexibility is now also important in boosting the application and integration of solar power. As a result, perovskite has been dubbed highly favorable as a contending material.
However, perovskite becomes less ideal regarding long-term stability. An Australian research team has been focusing on a more durable solar cell material, named kesterite (CZTS).
In general, these two materials are more favorable when used in tandem with silicon. This can definitely help bridge the gap to moving away from silicon as a sole material.
However, a Chinese research team from Wuhan University of Technology may have found the sole next-generation material.
This material seems to tick all the right boxes:
- Flexibility
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Easy manufacturing
The top contending solar cell material
Using plastic has become highly frowned upon in a world focused on sustainability. However, “plastic” solar cells could become the new norm in the solar world.
Plastic solar cells are more specifically called polymer solar cells. They are organic, carbon-based composites that can be printed into flexible, thin films.
Lighter, flexible, and printable solar cells are definitely the foundation of next-generation solar panels. Now that the Chinese researchers have improved polymer cells, even more so.
The greatest limitations of polymer cells were efficiency and durability due to polymer chain entanglement.
The researchers added small quantities of “linearly packed small molecule acceptor” to resolve the entanglement. Polymer chain stacking became more orderly as a result.
Efficiency and performance figures are encouraging
The changes were highly notable. Efficiency was 19.1%, and 97% of its performance continued after 2,000 operational hours.
The team predicted that the polymer solar cell lifetime would now surpass 100,000 hours.
At the moment, polymer cell efficiency is still much lower compared to other materials such as perovskite and silicon.
Nonetheless, the research team is positive that further research and development will make polymers the top contender in the future.
Soon, the solar world could be filled with affordable, flexible, and organic printable plastic cells. However, innovative rainbow solar glass is also making waves worldwide, painting a colorful picture of the future.
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