The Perovskite-Info newsletter (September 20, 2022)

Saule Technologies recently shared that its PESL (Perovskite Electronic Shelf Label) technology - electronic price and advertising labels powered by perovskite photovoltaic cells - have been installed at Żabka Eko Smart in Poznan, Poland. In addition, the same venue sports Saule's blinds that allow for generating energy from both natural and artificial light.

Saule shared that these unique technologies are aimed at improving the work of Żabka stores and increasing the comfort of customers and employees while maintaining care for the environment. 

Scientists from China's Jinan University, CoreTech Integrated Limited and Chinese Academy of Sciences have used selective nanosecond-pulse, laser-induced ablation to create a perovskite solar module with a reduced heat-affected zone.

The team showed that a nanosecond pulse laser can deliver a reduced heat-affected zone due to the small thermal diffusion coefficient (Dt) of the perovskite material, contributing to the accomplishment of a high geometric filling factor  (GFF) of up to 95.5%. In addition, the monolithic interconnection quality was improved by finely lifting off the capping layers on indium tin oxide and identifying the residue within the scribed area. As a result, a certified aperture area efficiency of 21.07% under standard 100 mW cm⁻² AM1.5G illumination was achieved with a high photovoltaic fill factor exceeding 80%.

Researchers at CSIRO and Monash University have reported a flexible perovskite solar cell manufactured using roll-to-roll compatible “printing” type processes, which could potentially be used in large-scale manufacturing. To achieve this, the team developed a viable roll-to-roll process to deposit the electrode layer, which has thus far been a major challenge. The team managed to fabricated cells which achieved a maximum efficiency of 16.7%.

Roll-to-roll processes signify a potential for low-cost manufacturing of flexible perovskites. However, adding the electrode layer in a process compatible with the roll-to-roll setup has proven to be a challenge. The research team in this recent work set out to address this issue and develop a process that could allow the electrode layer to be deposited without the need for solvents or heat treatments that potentially damage the perovskite layer as well.

Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapell Hill and University of Rochester have developed a novel hot gas-assisted method that could improve the fabrication of narrow bandgap (NBG) perovskite films for tandem solar cells. This strategy, combined with an anti-oxidation material added in the film, could increase the solar cells' carrier recombination lifetime (i.e., the time it takes for excess charge carriers to decay).

The researchers explained that all-perovskite tandem perovskite solar cells have the potential to reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems, due to their potential to reach a higher efficiency than their single-junction counterparts, while maintaining the solution fabrication processes. They said that compared to single junction perovskite modules, the application of tandem structures, which have much smaller photocurrents but higher photovoltage, can also reduce the cell-to-module efficiency derate and enable the realization of higher module efficiencies for monolithically interconnected modules in a series.