The new world record for the highest performing perovskite solar cell has been set by researchers from the United Kingdom and China.
In a study published by researchers from the Peking University, University of Surrey, Oxford, and Cambridge in the journal Science, they explained how they created a new technique to reduce non-radiative recombination and maximize the efficiency of perovskite solar cell technology.
To date, experts consider perovskite-based cells as the future of solar cell technology. These cells reportedly offer the same power conversion efficiency (PCE) performance at a more affordable cost than the current silicon-based solar cells.
In their paper, the researchers described creating a technique called Solution-Process Secondary (SSG). The new process reportedly increased the voltage of inverted perovskite solar cells by up to 100 millivolts. This allowed the solar cells to reach up to 1.21 volts without compromising the quality of the flowing electric current within the device.
The researchers then tested their technique on a device, eventually reaching a PCE of 20.9 percent, the highest recorded PCE for inverted perovskite solar cells ever made.
“The need for clean and sustainable energy that helps us to stop damaging our planet is what drives us at the Advanced Technology Institute. Our new technique confirms that there is a lot of promise with perovskite solar cells and we aim to explore this new and exciting area more in the future,” Dr. Wei Zhang from the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute, said in a statement.
Professor Ravi Silva, the Director of the Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey, went on to say:
“It is pleasing to see the Advanced Technology Institute join in this global project that could provide a solution to the need for a truly sustainable, cheap and clean energy resource. This was a monumental effort from leading laboratories, researchers, and institutions from across the world, all working together for the common good.”
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council reportedly awarded Zhang and his team the New Investigator Award together with £236,000 to further their studies involving vertical heterojunction devices based on perovskite and carbon nanomaterials.
