Oxford University scientists may have overcome a significant barrier to expanding solar energy access. Researchers from the university’s physics department have developed an ultra-thin material that can be applied to surfaces exposed to sunlight, offering a potential alternative to the bulky silicon-based solar panels currently in use.
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This innovative film, made by stacking layers of light-absorbing perovskite, measures just over one micron in thickness. Remarkably, it is 150 times thinner than a traditional silicon wafer and can achieve 5 percent greater energy efficiency than conventional single-layer silicon photovoltaics, according to a statement from Oxford University.
Dr. Shauifeng Hu, a postdoctoral fellow in Oxford’s physics department, expressed optimism about the technology’s potential, stating, “This approach could enable photovoltaic devices to achieve far greater efficiencies, exceeding 45 percent.”
In addition to boosting energy efficiency, this new approach could significantly lower the cost of solar energy. The film’s thinness and flexibility allow it to be applied to almost any surface, reducing construction and installation costs and potentially leading to a surge in solar energy farms generating sustainable power.
However, this technology is still in the research phase, and Oxford University has not yet addressed the long-term stability of these perovskite-based panels. While increasing solar energy efficiency from 6 percent to 27 percent in five years is a notable achievement, perovskite’s stability has historically lagged behind that of traditional photovoltaic technology, as noted by the US Department of Energy. A 2016 study in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells also highlighted perovskite’s potential for “efficient, low-cost energy generation,” but acknowledged its “poor stability” due to moisture sensitivity.
Despite these challenges, solar energy has become increasingly affordable over the past decade, with the cost of solar photovoltaic technology dropping by 90 percent, according to the Global Change Data Lab.
New solar farms are being established worldwide. Earlier this month, the US Department of Energy announced plans to convert an 8,000-acre site, once part of the Manhattan Project’s nuclear weapons program, into a solar farm. Last month, Google invested in a Taiwanese solar company to develop a 1-gigawatt solar pipeline in the region.
