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| Sat, 15th Aug 2020 14:41:00 |
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Perovskite Solar Cells Withstand Space Travel, Despite “Thinner Thickness” |
The Intertubes have been lighting up like fire ever since word dropped that the results are in for the first ever space flight of perovskite solar cells. Despite their razor-thin profile and delicate solution-based construction, the new solar cells returned to Earth intact while sending back all the juicy details about their performance in the up-above. Spoiler alert: on a gram-per-gram basis, perovskite comes out miles ahead of the competition.
For those of you new to the topic, solar cells have been used in space operations since 1959, and space applications paved the way for the affordable, down-to-Earth versions that millions of electricity users enjoy today, mainly in the form of low cost silicon technology.
The perovskite version is a relatively new development, with research picking up mainly after 2006. Perovskite is much lighter than silicon, less expensive than other solar materials, and easier to convert into a functioning PV device, which means that the next generation of solar cells could be even more affordable than ever.
Perovskite solar cells are also lightweight and flexible. That provides them with opportunities for application on clothing, buildings, cars, and, of course, rockets, among other things.
All things being equal, the space-friendly performance of perovskite cells indicates that the new PV technology could find widespread application here on Earth, once all the kinks are worked out.
One of those kinks is durability. Early iterations of perovskite PV cells dissolved under ambient conditions. The space flight demonstrates how far the R&D has progressed since then.
Read original full article
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