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When US energy policy took a sharp U-turn last year, it was a real head-scratcher. The new policy supports expensive, polluting energy resources while throttling back on the most accessible and economical solutions, particularly solar. Still, the domestic solar industry continues to out-perform its competitors by a wide margin in terms of adding new generating capacity to the nation’s power profile, and it is about to get a fresh turbo-boost from new perovskite solar cell technology.
The Perovskite Solar Cell Difference
Silicon has long held the preferred position for balancing solar cell efficiency and durability with cost, and the cost of silicon solar cells has dropped significantly since the early 2000’s. Still, further declines may be incremental in the absence of a new technology breakthrough.
Solar advocates have been scouting for a next-level change in the cost of solar cells, and that’s where perovskite comes in. Based on the naturally occurring mineral perovskite, synthetic perovskites offer cost, efficiency, and supply chain advantages over silicon. In the form of an ink or paint, perovskite solar cells can simply be sprayed or printed on a surface, deploying commonly used roll-to-roll fabrication methods.
