Inrecent years, there have been great advances in solar energy technology. Moreviable commercial-led energy platforms are becoming available in more locationsat lower prices than ever before. The solar energy movement is still nearingmaturity and promises exciting developments.

Solartechnology has advanced by leaps and bounds in just a few years. Recentdevelopments include:

1、  Super efficient solar cells

2、Solar panels that harvest energy at night

3、The first commercially available perovskite-basedphotovoltaic device

Thisprogress is likely to continue in the coming years and is driven by growingawareness of potential environmental collapse, energy insecurity and risingliving costs. As more experimental solar cells move toward commercializationand more domestic and industrial consumers make the switch, the industry as awhole will continue to accelerate its pace of development and contributesignificantly to our collective efforts to reduce our dependence on fossilfuels.

Solar cell efficiency

The efficiency of solar cells (thephotovoltaic modules in solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity) isgetting better every year. However, scientists continue to study the efficiencyof solar cells so that they can produce more power under the same conditions astheir less efficient counterparts. A team at the National Renewable EnergyLaboratory (NREL) recently highlighted a record 39.5% solar cell efficiencyunder natural light conditions.

The cell's efficiency and simple design makeit particularly suitable for highly constrained applications where small panelsgenerate large amounts of power (such as in future aircraft).

Itis also suitable for low-radiation space applications, where the energy in thesun's rays is less than that on Earth. Here, the cell still achieves aconversion efficiency of 34.2%. The study, published in Joule in 2022,demonstrates the record-breaking efficiency of an inverted metamorphicmulti-junction (IMM) architecture developed by NREL. This efficiency wasachieved after scientists studied quantum wall solar cells and manipulatedmultiple two-dimensional layers. The scientists embedded the quantum wall cellin the IMM device, which has three junctions, each tuned for a differentwavelength of the solar spectrum.

Night solar energy

During the day, radiant energy from the sungreatly heats the Earth's crust. However, energy is usually lost to theatmosphere and the cold surrounding space. In a new study published in thejournal ACS Photonics, a team of photovoltaic engineers at the University ofNew South Wales Sydney in Australia demonstrated a successful trial run oftheir new device, which is capable of converting this thermal energy intoelectricity. A power generation device called a thermal radiation diode is used,which uses infrared energy to work in a similar way to night vision goggles,but scaled up.

Commercial perovskite solarcells

Perovskite was first used in solar cells in2009. Scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK published details ofa new record-breaking perovskite battery in 2016. Perovskite crystals are abouta fifth as efficient as silicon at converting solar energy into electricity.However, the first perovskite-based panels were very fragile and had a shortservice life.

Engineers at Princeton University recentlypublished an article in the journal Science describing the first perovskitesolar cell with a commercially viable life. This is an important step towardsmaking perovskite PV the global standard for solar installations.

Engineers believe the device could operatefor at least 30 years at an efficiency higher than current solar industrystandards. The current crop of commercial solar technologies only has a maximumlifespan of about 20 years. In addition to being highly durable, perovskiteinstallations meet and exceed efficiency standards for solar panels.Silicon-based solar cells have dominated the solar market since they were firstintroduced in 1954, but the new perovskite cells may mark the end of siliconsolar's supremacy.

Perovskite crystals can be made at roomtemperature and are much less energetic than silicon. This makes them cheaperto produce and more sustainable. Because of their flexibility -- as opposed tosilicon's stiffness and opacity -- perovskite crystals can also be used incurved, curved or domed solar panels.

Princeton University engineers have shown howperovskite vulnerability can be overcome with a new accelerated aging techniquethat could extend the potential of solar cells beyond the limits of silicon.

The future of solar celltechnology

Advances in solar cell technology show nosigns of slowing down. Efficient, low-cost and easy to install (light,flexible) solar panels may be only a few years away from the market.