Page 21 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2018 publication

Autumn 2018 European Energy Innovation
Perovskite solar cells
Imagine a world where each family
residence produces the energy it
consumes at lower prices than
today’s. Imagine a world with free CO2
residence energy, more sustainable
and more integrated into the natural
world. GOTSolar has this ambition,
make buildings 100 % energy grid free
for a more sustainable world!
Perovskite solar cells are a new
comer in the field of photovoltaic
cells – in 2009 the best device
has an energy efficiency of 3.8%;
in 2018 GOTSolar’s partner Prof.
Michael Grätzel (EPFL) announced
a top efficiency of 23.25%! No other
technology evolved that fast.
A perovskite solar cell (PSC) is
1µm thick and the light absorber
layer, an organic-metal perovskite
semiconductor, is just 400nm
thick! PSC are made of abundant
materials and can be produced easily,
incorporating a minimal amount of
energy and natural resources; they
promise then to revolutionize again
the photovoltaic world. Some critics
point out the presence of lead in the
perovskite composition. However, its
concentration is rather small, below
0.1 wt.%, fitting the EU regulations on
this matter.
GOTSolar promoted several landmark
developments. Among them we
would like to emphasize:
• Fundamental properties of
the absorbing materials were
investigated both theoretically
and experimentally. A modelling of
halide perovskites with a universal development, aiming at contributing
empirical tight-binding Hamiltonian to quickly bring this technology to our
was developed to describe the
optoelectronic properties of lead-
halide perovskites;
• A new and modified electron
selective layers (ESL) were
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
21
COMMUNICATION
developed depositing a thin layer A perovskite solar cell (PSC)
of amorphous SnO2 (a-SnO2) onto
mesoporous-TiO2 using solution will close in December 2018. It was
based approaches. These modified the first EU project funded on the
ESL hold a great potential for their development of perovskite solar cells
application in the fabrication of (PSC). It involves four Universities –
highly-efficient PSCs, which are UPorto (PT), EPFL (CH), UUlm (DE)
stable under ultraviolet irradiance, and IChF PAN (PL) – a research
a challenge originally posed to the centers – CNRS (FR) – and two
PSCs based on mesoporous-TiO2; companies – Greatcell Solar (UK)
and Efacec (PT). GOTSolar is
• The development of a dopant- coordinated by Prof. Adélio Mendes
free small molecule-based hole from UPorto. l
transport material (HTM) with
higher thermal stability and similar Contact information
performance than the standard
HTM spiro-MeOTAD, and a series Adélio Mendes
of small band-gap HTMs with Engineering Faculty at the
absorption beyond the Perovskites University of Porto
threshold; Rua Roberto Frias
4200-465 Porto
• Hermetic low temperature laser Portugal
assisted glass encapsulation of the E-mail: mendes@fe.up.pt
PSC; the new process uses a low Tel: +351 220 413 612
melting point glass paste and a
laser pattern for achieving helium
hermeticity;
• A new carbon-based honeycomb-
shaped counter-electrode is being
developed and great potential due
to its inherent transparency;
• A selected configuration was
chosen to fabricate increasingly
larger modules that will be laser
frit sealed producing a >100cm2
fully encapsulated device that
will be tested for stability under
operating conditions.
The consortium is now working
in the second stage of the PSC
homes and offices.
PROJECT DATASHEET
GOTSolar is a €2,993,403.50 project
funded by EU program FET OPEN,
which started on January 2016 and