New material found for producing cheaper solar energy

Researchers have recently found a new way to make clean energy that will be more cost efficient, it has been reported.

A team of experts from the University of Exeter has examined new techniques for generating photovoltaic (PV) energy, or ways in which to convert light into power more cheaply than ever before.

The global PV market has experienced rapid growth in recent years due to renewable energy targets and CO2 emission controls.

However, current, widely-used commercial methods employed to generate PV energy, such as using silicon or thin film based technologies, are still expensive as they are processed through vacuum-based techniques. The development of technologies and the invention of new materials could lead to the reduction of PV energy generation costs.

Now, the team of scientists from Exeter has found that one such material, a mineral called perovskite, could hold the key to cheaper PV energy generation.

Crucially, the team conducted studies with perovskite in Alta Floresta (Brazil), Frenchman Flat, (USA) , Granada (Spain), Beijing (China), Edinburgh (UK) and Solar Village (Saudi Arabia), and confirmed its efficiency in converting light to power in a range of atmospheric conditions, rather than just under direct sunlight.

The study is published in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.