The most affordable, efficient way to harness the cleanest, most abundant renewable energy source in the world is one step closer to reality.
The University of Toledo physicist pushing the performance of solar cells to levels never before reached made a significant breakthrough in the chemical formula and process to make the new material.
Working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab, Dr. Yanfa Yan, UToledo professor of physics, envisions the ultra-high efficiency material called a tandem perovskite solar cell will be ready to debut in full-sized solar panels in the consumer market in the near future.
Perovskites, compound materials with a special crystal structure formed through chemistry, would replace silicon, which — for now — remains the solar-cell material of choice for converting the sun’s light into electrical energy.
Read more at University of Toledo
Image: Dr. Zhaoning Song, research assistant professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy, holds a a perovskite solar cell mini-module he developed with Dr. Yanfa Yan, UToledo professor of physics. The higher-efficiency, lower-cost solar cell technology could revolutionize energy generation around the globe. (Credit: Daniel Miller, The University of Toledo)