Oxford University researchers have developed a solar cell made from a perovskite material that could be printed onto backpacks, the backs of mobile phones or car roofs to generate electricity.

Scientists from the physics department at the University of Oxford have developed an ultra-thin light-absorbing material that is flexible enough to be placed on the surface of any building or object, with the potential to produce nearly twice as much energy as current solar cells, CNN reported on August 9. The new technology comes at a pivotal time for the explosive growth of solar energy as human-caused climate change rapidly warms the planet, forcing the world to accelerate its transition to clean energy.

The research team experiments with ultra-thin solar cell materials in the laboratory. (Photo: Martin Small)

A solar panel made from a perovskite material absorbs solar energy more efficiently than the silicon panels widely used today. That’s because its light-absorbing layers can capture a wider range of light from the Sun’s spectrum than traditional cells, generating more energy.

The Oxford team isn’t the only one to produce such a coating, but theirs is extremely efficient, capturing about 27% of the energy in sunlight. Current silicon-based panels typically convert 22% of sunlight into electricity. The researchers believe that over time, perovskite could deliver efficiencies of over 45%, based on the increase in efficiency they achieved from 6% to 27% over five years of testing.

“This is important because it promises to produce more solar power without the need for silicon panels or specialized solar farms,” ​​said Junke Wang, one of the Oxford scientists. “We’re planning to use perovskite coatings on a wider range of surfaces for low-cost solar power, like car and building roofs, and even the backs of mobile phones.”

At just over a micron thick, the new coating is 150 times thinner than the silicon wafers used in today’s solar panels. Unlike silicon wafers, perovskite can be applied to almost any surface, including plastic and paper, using tools like inkjet printers.

Globally, solar installations are expected to increase by 80% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to Wood Mackenzie, a company that specializes in clean energy transition data and analytics. Solar power is the fastest-growing source of electricity by 2023 for the 18th year in a row.

A key driver of the boom is the falling cost of solar power, which has become cheaper than producing any other form of energy, including fossil fuels. Another factor driving the growth of this type of electricity is the increasing efficiency of converting solar energy. But solar farms require a lot of land, leading to conflicts between the agricultural sector, governments and renewable energy companies. The Oxford team says their technology offers a solution to that problem, while also reducing energy costs.

However, the problem with perovskite is its stability, which has prevented developers from commercializing the technology. Some lab-grown coatings dissolve or decompose over time, making them less durable than current solar cells. Scientists are working on ways to improve their longevity.