Planning the production of perovskite solar cells

With the aid of $449,000 in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), renewable energy supplier Dyesol is taking the first steps towards commercialising a potentially cheaper and highly efficient solar cell made from perovskite.

“Most current-generation solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the market today are made with silicon, but there is growing interest in developing third-generation solar technologies such as cells constructed from perovskite,” said ARENA Acting CEO Ian Kay.

“Perovskite is abundant and cheaper than silicon and there are signs it may be more adaptable than conventional silicon, providing enhanced performance in low light conditions and being better suited for integration into external building components, such as windows and facades.

The ARENA funding is enabling Dyesol to create a roadmap setting out the steps to take its perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology from the lab to a commercially available product. According to Kay, “Dyesol will map out the techniques and requirements for working towards scalable manufacturing of high-quality, uniform perovskite cells that achieve efficiency, durability and stability targets.”

Dyesol Chief Technical Officer Dr Damion Milliken added that ARENA’s support will help the company to bed down critical manufacturing input materials and techniques necessary for commercialisation of a PSC product.

Kay concluded that ARENA hopes to see PSCs deliver “a significant breakthrough in cost reduction in the manufacture of solar PV technology”. He noted that Dyesel is “initially aiming for a delivery cost benchmark of US10 c/kWh, putting perovskite solar PV cells on par with current benchmarks achieved by silicon solar PV… [and providing] further scope for reduction in the cost of energy as manufacturing volumes grow”.

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