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The end of traditional solar panels? Oxford researchers have developed a new solar cell that promises to be a revolutionary alternative, offering more efficient and sustainable solar power generation with innovative technology.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a revolutionary new technology that could provide an alternative to generating solar energy without the need for traditional silicon panels. The innovation, which could bring an end to solar panels, would allow everyday objects such as backpacks, cars and cell phones to be coated with a photovoltaic material.
Alternative for solar energy generation achieves 27% efficiency
The new technology, which could spell the end of solar panels, is thin and flexible enough to be applied to the surface of any building or product.
Using a technique that stacks multiple light-absorbing layers into a single photovoltaic cell, researchers were able to harness a wider range of the light spectrum, allowing more power to be generated using the same amount of sunlight.
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The alternative approach to solar power generation is known as multijunction and has been certified to have a conversion efficiency of 27% by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science. It was the first time an ultrathin material had achieved levels similar to those of more traditional photovoltaic technologies.
According to the researcher at the University of Oxford, Dr. Shuaifeng Hu, in just five years of research, increased conversion efficiency from 6% to 27%, close to the limits achievable by photovoltaic cells currently used in panels, making it a great alternative for generating solar energy.
Researchers believe that over time, this new approach will allow for even greater efficiency, surpassing 45% and bringing an end to solar panels.
Understand the advantages of Oxford's new technology
The efficiency of a solar panel represents its potential to convert sunlight into electrical energy per square meter. Currently, the most efficient modules have a conversion rate of 26%, which indicates the percentage of light captured that will be transformed into energy for consumption.
Another point is the versatility of the ultra-thin and flexible material, an alternative for generating solar energy, which makes it possible to apply it to any type of surface.
According to Dr. Junke Wang, a researcher at Oxford, this is essential, as it brings the prospect of greater solar generation without the need for many solar panels or farms, bringing an end to solar panels.
Scientists believe this technique will continue to drive down solar power costs. Since 2010, the global average cost of solar power generation has fallen by nearly 90 percent, making it nearly a third cheaper than solar-generated electricity. fossil fuels.
Innovations are also enabling additional savings with new materials such as perovskite, reducing the demand for silicon wafers and the construction of large plants. According to Wang, it is possible to visualize the coating of perovskite being applied to different types of surfaces to generate cheap solar energy, such as the roof of a car, building and cell phones.
Perovskite solar cell is 150 times thinnera
The perovskite-based material is so thin and flexible that it can be applied as a coating to virtually any building or everyday object, such as backpacks, cars and cell phones. At just over a micron thick, the researchers’ new perovskite cell is 150 times thinner than a silicon wafer, making it an alternative for generating solar energy.
Oxford PV, a company spun out of the University of Oxford in 2010, has begun mass production of 24,5% efficient perovskite cells at its plant in Brandenburg, near Berlin, Germany. It is the first time this type of solar panel has been mass-produced.
