Scientists at Oxford University may have solved one of the biggest obstacles to expanding access to solar energy. Scientists at the university's physics department have created an ultra-thin layer of material that can be applied to the outside of objects with access to sunlight in place of bulky silicon solar panels.
The ultra-thin, flexible film is made by stacking layers of light-absorbing perovskites that are just over a micron thick. The new materials are also 150 times thinner than a traditional silicon wafer and can yield 5 percent more energy efficiency than traditional single-layer silicon photovoltaics, according to the company. A statement released by the University of Oxford.
Dr Shauifeng Hu, a postdoctoral researcher in Oxford's Department of Physics, says he believes “this approach could enable photovoltaic devices to achieve much higher efficiencies, above 45 per cent.”
This new approach to solar energy technology could also reduce the cost of solar energy. Because of their thinness and flexibility, they can be applied to almost any surface. This reduces the cost of construction and installation and could increase the number of solar energy parks that produce more sustainable energy.
However, this technology is still in the research stage and the university does not mention the long-term stability of the newly designed perovskite panels. Going from 6 to 27 percent solar energy efficiency in five years is an impressive feat, but stability has always been limited compared to photovoltaic technology, according to the university. United States Department of EnergyA 2016 study in the scientific journal Materials and solar cells for solar energy He also noted that perovskite can provide “efficient and low-cost power generation,” but also has “poor stability” due to its sensitivity to humidity.
Solar power has also become a cheaper energy option over the past decade. The cost of solar photovoltaic technology has dropped by 90 percent over the past 10 years, according to the Global Change Data Lab.
New solar farms are popping up around the world. The U.S. Department of Energy announced earlier this month that it would convert a 3,200-hectare site that once housed parts of the nuclear weapons program known as the Manhattan Project into a solar farm. Last month, Google invested in a Taiwanese solar company to build a 1-gigawatt natural gas pipeline in the region.
