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					</table><p>Scientists from the <a href="https://www.nus.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National University of Singapore</a> have announced a record 27.1% energy conversion efficiency from a novel triple-junction solar cell they developed. The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature, claims to overcome the limitations in current solar cell technologies.</p>
<p>Solar cells work by absorbing energy from sunlight and converting it into electricity. Multi-junction cells layer different materials that absorb different ranges of solar energy, increasing the overall efficiency. However, most existing multi-junction designs suffer from energy losses and instability issues.</p>
<p>The researchers engineered a new type of perovskite solar cell by incorporating cyanate, a unique molecule, into its structure. Perovskites can be solution-processed and essentially painted or printed onto surfaces like flexible plastic, paper, or glass, making them versatile and easy to transport.</p>
<p>“Remarkably, after 15 years of ongoing research in the field of perovskite-based solar cells, this work constitutes the first experimental evidence for the inclusion of cyanate into perovskites to boost the stability of its structure and improve power conversion efficiency,” said one of the researchers, Assistant Professor Hou Yi.</p>
<p>The cyanate-perovskite cell worked at over 96% capacity after 300 hours of maximum power operation, demonstrating its durability. The solar cell also achieved a higher voltage of 1.422 volts compared to 1.357 volts for conventional perovskite solar cells, with a significant reduction in energy loss.</p>
<p>It was then integrated with a silicon solar cell to create a triple-junction tandem device. Triple-junction designs can theoretically exceed 50% efficiency by capturing more of the solar spectrum. However, achieving this has been challenging with conventional materials.</p>
<p>This triple-junction cell is the most efficient of its kind ever certified, the scientists claimed.</p>
<p>“Collectively, these advancements offer ground-breaking insights into mitigating energy loss in perovskite solar cells and set a new course for the further development of perovskite-based triple junction solar technology,” added Hou.</p>
<p>The researchers plan to scale up the technology to full-size solar panels and modules while maintaining record-setting efficiency. The next steps include optimizing the interfaces between cell layers and further tweaking the perovskite composition.</p>
<p>Just last month, UK-based solar cell manufacturing company Oxford PV, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/oxford-pv-for-its-perovskite-solar-modules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> a 25% conversion efficiency for its perovskite solar modules.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nanoscale-engineering-perovskite-cell-durability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restructure</a> perovskite cell surfaces to reduce defects using nanoscale engineering.</p>


Scientists Claim Record Efficiency from Triple-Junction Tandem Solar Cell


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					</table><p>A team of researchers from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPFL</a>), Switzerland, have developed a method that improves both power conversion efficiency and stability of solar cells based on pure iodide as well as mixed-halide perovskites.</p>
<p>The new approach resulted in power-conversion efficiencies of 24.9% and 21.2% for two perovskite compositions. The team claimed about 90% and 80% of the initial efficiencies were retained after 1,200 and 250 hours of continuous operation, respectively.</p>
<p>“By addressing the critical issue of stability, our results represent an important step towards large-scale practical applications of PSCs,” the researchers said.</p>
<p>The research was carried out by Michael Grätzel and Ursula Rothlisberger at EPFL and led by Essa A. Alharbi and Lukas Pfeifer.</p>
<p><strong>The Problem of Halide Segregation</strong></p>
<p>A major obstacle in commercializing perovskite solar cells is their operational stability, which puts them at a disadvantage. Finding solutions to address this becomes crucial to make perovskite technology a success, especially for solar cells.</p>
<p>The problem outstands with mixed-halide perovskites, which are ideal materials for both tandem solar cells and emission-tunable LEDs because they combine high compositional flexibility with optoelectronic performance.</p>
<p>Mixed-halide perovskites also feature wide bandgaps, an essential property that affects the energy needed for a photovoltaic material to generate electricity.</p>
<p>However, in most mixed-halide perovskites, light can cause a “halide phase segregation,” wherein the ingredients tend to “de-mix” into regions of differing halide content. This segregation inevitably can lead to efficiency problems during the operational lifespan of a solar cell.</p>
<p><strong>Addressing Challenges </strong></p>
<p>The researchers said they used a method to treat perovskite solar cells with two alkylammonium halide modulators that work in synergy to improve solar cell performance.</p>
<p>The modulators are used as passivators &#8212; compounds used to mitigate defects in perovskites &#8212;  which otherwise promote degradation pathways.</p>
<p>In their study, the researchers were able to use the two modulators to stop halide segregation and substantially reduce the drops in power-conversion efficiency seen in the long-term use of perovskite solar cells.</p>
<p>Recently, researchers from Monash University, Australia, in collaboration with the Wuhan University of Technology in China, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-use-lead-acetate-to-make-perovskite-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they could use lead acetate as a precursor in making formamidinium-caesium perovskite solar cells with a conversion efficiency of 21%.</p>
<p>Earlier in the month, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-roorkee-claim-17-efficiency-perovskite-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they had successfully developed a prototype of a low-cost, high-quality perovskite solar cell that achieved a stable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.05%.</p>


Swiss Researchers Say Raised Perovskite Cells’ Stability at 24.9% Efficiency


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					</table><p>Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (<a href="https://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/index_en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HZB</a>) said they have achieved 32.5% conversion efficiency in tandem solar cells, which is the highest ever for this technology and also a world record.</p>
<p>The new tandem solar cell consists of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell.</p>
<p>European Solar Test Installation (<a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/european-solar-test-installation_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESTI</a>), a certifying institute in Italy, measured the tandem cell and confirmed the value officially. This is also included in the NREL chart of solar cell technologies.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a really big leap forward that we didn&#8217;t foresee a few months ago…We are very excited about the new value as it shows that the perovskite/silicon tandem technology is highly promising for contributing to a sustainable energy supply,&#8221; Prof. Steve Albrecht said.</p>
<p><strong>Technology modification</strong></p>
<p>The lead authors, Silvia Mariotti, and Eike Köhnen, developed an interface modification to reduce the charge carrier recombination losses and analyzed it in detail to understand the specific properties of the interface modification.</p>
<p>These developments were then successfully implemented in tandem solar cells, and were combined with further optical improvements, the researchers said.</p>
<p>Additionally, many more scientists and technicians helped to develop and fabricate tandem cells to achieve successful results.</p>
<p>Together, both the interface and optical modifications enabled the highest open-circuit voltage — the maximum voltage available from a solar cell — which resulted in the new record efficiency for the tandem technology.</p>
<p>There is an ongoing efficiency development by various research institutes and companies over the last years within the field.</p>
<p>The teams from HZB had claimed to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/conversion-efficiency-perovskite-silicon-solar-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieve</a> a record value in late 2021 with an efficiency of 29.8% in a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The result was certified by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab. The researchers<a href="https://mercomindia.com/new-perovskite-silicon-tandem-solar-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> improved</a> upon their earlier conversion efficiency record of 29.15%.</p>
<p>In November, a team of researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Toledo <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-claim-solar-cell-shows-27-4-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to have developed an all-perovskite tandem solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 27.4%, which is comparable with traditional silicon solar cells.</p>
<p>Image Source: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin</p>


Tandem Solar Cell Achieves World Record with 32.5% Conversion Efficiency

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