Silicon calcium titanium ore solar cells will completely change the power generation efficiency
Silicon calcium titanium ore solar cells will completely change the power generation efficiency
Traditional solar cells based on silicon semiconductor compounds have a theoretical maximum efficiency of 29% in converting sunlight into electrical energy. However, by merging the second perovskite layer onto the base silicon layer, solar cells may exceed this efficiency threshold in the near future.
Perovskite is a kind of compound with the same crystal structure as calcium titanium Oxide mineral. This highly flexible material can be used for various applications, including ultrasonic machines, storage chips, and solar cells for power generation. Recent research shows that perovskite may be a "secret weapon" to promote the power generation efficiency of the solar cell industry to a new level.
The current solar cell technology is rapidly approaching its highest efficiency level, but still does not meet the level required for solar energy as an important mitigating factor in addressing global warming. Scientists have stated that efficiency must exceed 30%, and the installation rate of new solar panels must be ten times higher than the current adoption level.
By adding an additional layer of calcium titanium oxide (both with semiconductor properties) on a silicon substrate, the energy captured from sunlight can be enhanced. The silicon layer captures electrons in red light, while the calcium titanium layer captures blue light. The improvement of energy absorption capacity will lead to a decrease in the overall price of solar energy, thereby accelerating the deployment and adoption of solar panels.
Scientists have spent several years developing efficient silicon calcium titanium solar cell technology, and 2023 seems to mark an important milestone in this field. Recent research progress has successfully improved the efficiency of silicon perovskite series batteries to over 30%. The pace of progress is so fast that this technology will soon showcase its enhanced functionality in commercial products.
Stefaan De Wolf, professor of material science and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, believes that in 2023, the field of solar cell technology will bring significant progress. De Wolf's team has achieved an efficiency level of 33.7% in silicon perovskite solar cells, but their work details still need to be published in scientific journals.Another research group led by Steve Albrecht of the Helmholtz Berlin Center for Materials and Energy in Germany recently published a study on a series connected silicon perovskite battery that can achieve a power conversion efficiency of up to 32.5%. The third group led by Xin Yu Chin of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, has proved that the efficiency of the series battery reaches 31.25%, with "the potential of high efficiency and low manufacturing cost".
De Wolf stated that exceeding the 30% energy threshold will enhance people's confidence that "high-performance, low-cost photovoltaic power generation can be brought to the market". By 2022, the solar power generation capacity will reach 1.2 terawatts (TW), and it must increase to at least 75 TW by 2050 to alleviate the most catastrophic situation caused by global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.