The field of solar energy is constantly evolving. At the beginning of February, New Atlas informed us that a team of South Korean engineers had just broken a record by creating quantum dot solar cells, with an efficiency of 18.1%. A few weeks later, the Fraunhofer ISE Institute in Germany shared a press release in which it discussed a recent and most promising experiment in Sweden: scientists had just brilliantly distinguished themselves by breaking the world record for efficiency for a solar cell with an energy conversion efficiency of 23.64%.
A study, conducted by specialists from the Technical University of Denmark and published Tuesday March 12 in the journal PRX Energy 3, was the subject of a press release spotted by Interesting Engineering. We learn that a new type of solar cell made from selenium and silicon would offer real efficiency in terms of energy conversion while being attractive in terms of cost.
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More precisely, after mixing old solar technology with new uses, the members of this team created a tandem solar cell that would, according to them, be easy to produce again. This innovation would help push current limits. A more than tempting promise, since the exploitation of this energy proves essential if we want to put an end to the use of fossil fuels.
A major breakthrough: more efficient and economical solar cells
The objective, let us remember, is to fully exploit solar energy to meet (even better) our energy needs. Indeed, the most advanced solar cells available to date make it possible to convert “only” 30% of the incident solar energy, recalls Interesting Engineering in its article. The rest remains largely untapped, meaning that enormous potential is being missed by the sector. If we could convert 70% or 80% of energy into electricity, considerable progress would be made.
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Although it is essential to increase the efficiency of solar cells, it is equally necessary to do so at affordable costs. New approaches to solar cell technology use materials with shorter lifespans. Also, although they offer slightly increased energy conversion efficiency, they could be associated with additional costs throughout the project.
When solar cells were first designed, they were made of selenium. Until the last decade, this chemical element dominated the manufacture of solar cells. Subsequently, silicon was introduced due to its promise of high energy conversion efficiency. However, working with silicon requires high temperatures, which increases production costs. In comparison, selenium is associated with a lower melting point, which can help reduce the cost of manufacturing solar cells. The Danish researchers therefore decided to exploit the positive aspects of each.
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Still some adjustments to make
Concretely, scientists have chosen to concoct a new type of cell containing selenium in its upper layer, while the lower layer is occupied by the silicon component. The former will absorb multiple wavelengths of sunlight to produce electricity, making it more versatile than the latter.
The solar module that emerged in the laboratory has an energy conversion efficiency of “only” 2.7%. This is a small fraction of the highest efficiency obtained with silicon, i.e. 26.8%, explains Interesting Engineering. However, the researchers say they are convinced that the efficiency of the solar cell will increase tenfold once the conductive materials used in the solar cell are adjusted. Once developed, it should equal (or even exceed) the energy conversion efficiencies offered by current technologies… while being profitable.
This article was originally published on March 18.
