Page 34 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication

34 Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation

SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGIES

The StableNextSol COST Action Project:
Towards Stable Organic and Perovskite
Solar Cell Technologies

Flexible Organic Solar Cell by Heliatek (a StableNextSol partner). The COST Action MP1307
project ‘Unravelling
degradation mechanisms
of organic and perovskite
solar cells by complimentary
characterization techniques
(StableNextSol)’ is a network of
more than 470 leading European
and international experts from more
than 35 countries and 22 industries.
The project aim is the realization of
highly stable PV devices and modules
through the study and understanding
of the degradation mechanisms
occurring in state-of-the-art PV devices.

CONCEPT
Organic and hybrid perovskite solar
cells are among the top 10 emerging
technologies of 2016. They are made
of low cost and earth abundant
materials which can be fabricated by
inexpensive processes on large areas
that can result in light weight, flexible,
transparent and colourful solar cells
and modules. With power conversion
efficiencies that currently surpass 22 %,
emerging photovoltaic technologies
can significantly contribute to a
clean electricity supply for the future.
However, device stability is still a
pending issue; it should at least
match its commercially established
competitor technology, silicon-based
solar cells, at a guaranteed lifetime
of more than 20 years. Thus, lifetime
is one of the main hurdles for the
successful and large-scale market
introduction of these new promising
photovoltaic technologies. The
degradation mechanisms in these
devices are hierarchical and complex,
they can take place at variable
locations in the device: in the light
harvesting material, at the interfaces
or at the contact electrodes. Thus,
the in-depth understanding of their

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