Scientists develop record-breaking technology that could change the way we use solar panels: ‘Overcoming one of the key technical barriers’

Korean scientists have made a breakthrough that could help further the implementation of solar energy around the world.

According to Interesting Engineering, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology jointly developed a technology with UniTest Co to produce highly efficient, large-area perovskite solar cells that achieved a certified efficiency of 20.6%. This beat the previous best of 19.2%.

Typical solar panels tend to range in efficiency of around 15% to 22%, according to GreenMatch. They’re made of silicon crystalline structures and tend to be costly to make, which passes that cost on to the consumer.

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Perovskite is cheaper and more readily available than silicon but has long had problems with both efficiency and durability. Big strides have been made in the material’s durability, and now its efficiency looks set to be on par with silicon panels.

As Interesting Engineering points out, experts believe perovskite can achieve up to 27% efficiency in capturing solar energy, but this is the closest the technology has come to achieving that goal to date.

“This achievement represents a significant milestone in overcoming one of the key technical barriers for the commercialization of large-area perovskite cells, marking a major success in industry-research collaboration that we hope will contribute substantially to the commercialization of solar cell technologies,” said Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology president Young-Kook Lee.

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Scientists in China recently managed to create a panel with over 26% efficiency using a hybrid perovskite model, while Hong Kong scientists have developed a method of using the material that could further its efficiency even further.

For this technology, UniTest plans to start accelerating its commercialization process to get the more efficient panels on the market as soon as possible. They’re hoping to use the technology for things like semi-transparent solar roofs in cars, and are hoping to mass-produce indoor perovskite solar cells by the end of the year.

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