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More solar cell types than I realized. Why is this one getting a lot of attention now?

by beaned 4y ago

RhodesianHunter 4y ago
Because it's setting a record.
walrus01 4y ago
There's a vast number of esoteric PV cell types you can't actually buy at any reasonable price, or buy at all at any price, unless you're in an extremely specialized market niche. Note the PDF link above to best research cell efficiencies, which means somebody made a very small number of PV cells in a lab environment. Not something that's produced for sale to end-users in any real quantity.
Schroedingersat 4y ago
Has the potential for an upside previously unavailable at low cost. By stacking layers of different solar cells you can surpass the theoretical limit of a single layer which is 32% (or around 28% in practical terms including spaces that aren't solar cell). Single layer silicon is in the 22-25% range now with the 22% modules being the optimal cost in most areas. The modules also only make up a small fraction of the cost of a PV install (around 25-30%), so increasing efficiency from 22% to 32% reduces BOS costs by almost as much as the entire module currently costs Perovskites are also dirt cheap, so are a good candidate for increasing efficiencies. The difficulty is in making them last. Accelerated aging tests are promising but they haven't hit market yet.
- tuatoru 4y ago
  For those not familiar with the jargon:- BOS: balance of system, i. e., everything else besides the panels (mountings, wiring and connectors, labor and land costs being the main parts of BOS affected by panel efficiency.)
_fizz_buzz_ 4y ago
Because this one is very practical and has a really good chance to make it to market. One can build very esoteric structures in a lab environment - which is of course also an achievement - but they are not easily mass produced (too expensive, too unstable, too difficult to manufacture at scale, too unpredictable, etc.).

More solar cell types than I realized. Why is this one getting a lot of attention now?

by beaned 4y ago

More solar cell types than I realized. Why is this one getting a lot of attention now?

RhodesianHunter 4y ago

Because it's setting a record.

walrus01 4y ago

There's a vast number of esoteric PV cell types you can't actually buy at any reasonable price, or buy at all at any price, unless you're in an extremely specialized market niche. Note the PDF link above to best research cell efficiencies, which means somebody made a very small number of PV cells in a lab environment. Not something that's produced for sale to end-users in any real quantity.

Schroedingersat 4y ago

Has the potential for an upside previously unavailable at low cost. By stacking layers of different solar cells you can surpass the theoretical limit of a single layer which is 32% (or around 28% in practical terms including spaces that aren't solar cell). Single layer silicon is in the 22-25% range now with the 22% modules being the optimal cost in most areas. The modules also only make up a small fraction of the cost of a PV install (around 25-30%), so increasing efficiency from 22% to 32% reduces BOS costs by almost as much as the entire module currently costs Perovskites are also dirt cheap, so are a good candidate for increasing efficiencies. The difficulty is in making them last. Accelerated aging tests are promising but they haven't hit market yet.

tuatoru 4y ago
For those not familiar with the jargon:- BOS: balance of system, i. e., everything else besides the panels (mountings, wiring and connectors, labor and land costs being the main parts of BOS affected by panel efficiency.)

_fizz_buzz_ 4y ago

Because this one is very practical and has a really good chance to make it to market. One can build very esoteric structures in a lab environment - which is of course also an achievement - but they are not easily mass produced (too expensive, too unstable, too difficult to manufacture at scale, too unpredictable, etc.).