What is Perovskit and why it is the future of Solar Energy?
A look into the future of solar panels
Before moving forward, you should know the answer to this question:
What is a material and what are its different structures?
Material is what constitutes everything around us. It can be solid, liquid, or gas. Each material has its own properties. For example, wood can be a nonconducting material (doesn’t allow the flow of electricity); on the other hand aluminum or gold can be a perfect conducting material.
Now I want you to get rid of your macroscopic eye. One way to understand the material better is by looking at its internal structure. In easy words, the internal structure of a material is just how its atoms arrange and repeat themselves in space. Below are some examples of different structures.
Let’s come back to our subject, what is perovskite?
- Natural Perovskite is a mineral, specifically calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3). This mineral was first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Natural perovskite can be found in some parts of the world, such as Russia, the United States, and various other countries. However, Natural Perovskite has no added value in technological applications. What interests us is its structure and not its atoms.
- Synthetic Perovskite: This is where magic happens. The scientist has duplicated the structure of the natural Perovskite by using different elements. Synthetic perovskites are often composed of a combination of various elements like lead, iodine, cesium, and others. But what is so special about these human-made materials?
Perovskite research is a rapidly evolving field, with new discoveries and advancements happening regularly. In this article, I will be only focusing on the advantages this material can bring to the solar industry.
Perovskites exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties, making them highly attractive for applications in photovoltaics (solar cells) and light-emitting devices. Compared to the traditional silicon-based solar cells, Perovskite requires way less energy to be produced. Guess what? you can buy a printer and print as much of this material as you want. Just think a moment about how it can be cost-effective and how the production of solar panels can benefit from it.
Flexibility is another feature of these materials. We can fold a solar panel and put it in our pocket, or have it in every part of our car … you name it, let your imagination think how you can put into use this material property.
Transparency is another advantage of perovskite materials. Did you ever imagine having a transparent solar panel? Yes, we could use it everywhere as a window, it will serve as an isolating material for the building and at the same time produce electricity!
Unfortunately, we are still facing two obstacles that prevent the Perovskite solar cell from conquering the market:
- Stability: Perovskite solar cells are known to be less stable than traditional silicon solar cells. They can degrade when exposed to moisture, oxygen, heat, and UV radiation, which can shorten their lifespan. But don’t worry our scientists are doing tremendous work in solving this issue and a significant increase in stability has been made recently.
- Toxicity: Many perovskite materials contain lead, which raises environmental and safety concerns. But again, researchers are actively working on developing lead-free perovskite materials to address these concerns.
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