Companies all over the world are heavily investing in research and development into novel ways to boost the production of renewable energy as governments everywhere push for a green transformation.
Conventional renewable energy projects, like wind and solar farms, are becoming much more efficient thanks to new technologies as manufacturers construct larger turbines and stronger panels. A German team now thinks it has discovered a novel light-harvesting device that has the potential to significantly boost solar energy output.
Silicon-based solar cells, the basis of conventional solar panels, only poorly absorb light in the visible spectrum. For these solar cells to be able to absorb enough photons to produce power, they need to be several micrometres thick. Because of this, they are pricey, hefty, and challenging to place in tight areas.
In contrast, organic dye-based thin-film solar cells, which are only 100 nanometres thick, are both lighter and less expensive. They can only absorb a limited range of the solar spectrum, though. For years, researchers have been trying to figure out how to increase solar panel efficiency while lowering weight and cost.
Researchers from the University of Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, think they may have found the structure required to significantly increase the output of solar energy. The utilisation of a URPB system, which stands for ultraviolet, red, purple, and blue, was recently demonstrated in a paper published in the journal Chem.
This system is modelled after the photosynthetic antennas found in bacteria and plants that can effectively absorb sunlight. To effectively capture light spanning UV, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths, the URPB model employs four distinct dyes stacked in a particular configuration.
In the experimentation stage, the group of scientists managed to transform 38% of incident light into functional energy. On the other hand, the four dyes combined only achieve a maximum of three per cent and less than one per cent.
Prof. Frank Würthner of JMU’s Department of Chemistry said, “Our system has a band structure similar to that of inorganic semiconductors.”
It absorbs light panchromatically, that is, throughout the visible spectrum. Additionally, it makes use of organic dyes’ high absorption coefficients. It can thus absorb a significant amount of light energy in a comparatively small coating, much like natural light-harvesting systems.”
The process’s expansion for commercial applications will be the next obstacle to overcome. Although the technology has proven successful in producing energy in a lab setting, using new technology in an actual setting is usually fraught with more difficulties.
This is the newest technology being tried globally to increase the output of solar energy. Businesses all over the world are heavily investing in research and development related to solar energy because of the need to increase the world’s capacity for renewable energy to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, as well as increased public financing and financial incentives like tax cuts.
Over the past ten years, solar power generation has increased dramatically. The price per watt of solar panels has dropped from over USD 5 in 2000 to less than 50 cents now, despite falling production costs. The efficiency of solar panels has grown from roughly 17% in 2012 to between 22% and 29% today.
According to IRENA, solar photovoltaic (PV) has risen almost 26 times since 2010 and is currently the energy source with the fastest rate of growth worldwide. With 191 GW added in 2022 alone, the total installed solar PV capacity worldwide by the end of 2022 would be 1,047 GW.
Researchers in Turkey released a study earlier this year that suggested a semi-spherical photovoltaic solar cell construction would be able to absorb up to 66% more light than flat panels. After seeing how well the technology worked in computer simulations, the team is now trying to build a prototype to test the system.
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are another promising technology because of their excellent performance and affordable production. PSCs have advanced significantly in the last several years, increasing their efficiency from roughly 3% in 2009 to over 25% currently. This has prompted significant investments in the advancement of PSC technology from the United States Department of Energy (DoE) and other public and commercial organisations worldwide.
Up until now, the majority of PSC testing has taken place in a lab setting. However, a cross-country study team from the University of North Carolina in the United States is transferring the experiments outside. With an operational efficiency of more than 16%, the U.S. DoE’s Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercialising Technologies (PACT) centre was able to successfully use the technology outdoors for 29 weeks.
“Real-world demonstration is a vital step towards commercialisation. We believe by PACT delivering these capabilities researchers and industry may exploit this data toward increased reliability,” said Laura Schelhas, an NREL chemical researcher.