A University of Melbourne research fellow has built a device to measure the functionality of solar cells. Dr Jamie Laird is a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, a centre that looks at new ways to source and use energy. The invention could be utilised to analyse perovskite solar cells.
Typical solar cells incorporate silicon as its manufacture is cheaper and more productive than alternatives, such as gold. However, silicon production requires a high temperature to remove impurities, making the process inefficient and unsustainable. Silicon cells have delivered efficiency ratings for their 25-to-30-year lifecycle of over 20%.
Looking to improve on this, researchers have considered the use of perovskite, a mineral composed of calcium titanate, instead of silicon. This semiconductor can be applied in a significantly thinner layer and is more flexible. The invention of perovskite solar cells in the late 2010s saw efficiency increase to over 30%.
The lack of inclusion of this technology into the mainstream has been primarily attributed to its reliability when exposed to the elements. Since its incorporation developers have analysed the core structure of the compound to discover where improvements are needed. This has resulted in an increased reliability to a lifecycle of approximately five years, a timescale that is not commercially viable.
Laird’s testing process incorporated micro-spectroscopy and frequency analysis to scan the solar cell and measure its quality. By understanding where the shortfalls are in the photovoltaic process, researchers found they could gain a better understanding of areas that require exploration. This technology has seen interest from members of organisations such as the University of Oxford, Monash University and the University of Sydney.
Laird said, “This new method allows us to do imaging analysis of whole or complete solar cells and look at how they perform, how they change with time and ageing.
“You can’t have a solar cell that decomposes quickly when it’s meant to last 20 years in the field. This is a missing link in the repertoire of techniques we have to throw at that problem.”
