Project description
Graphene and perovskite team up in a high-performance, low-cost solar cell
Increasing efficiency and lowering cost are key drivers of photovoltaics research and development. Perovskite solar cells have generated tremendous interest, rapidly increasing in efficiency from only about 3 % in 2006 to over 25 % today. However, many challenges are impeding a cost-competitive commercial roll-out. Replacing conventional gold electrodes with a low-cost graphite-based conductive film is a promising solution, but the perovskite–carbon interface has hindered progress. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GNPs4PVs project is developing novel printable graphene nanoplate-based electrodes to replace graphite. Interfacial engineering should enhance efficiency and increase operational lifetime while reducing costs, finally opening the door to commercialisation of perovskite photovoltaics.
Objective
Due to their high efficiencies (>25%), low-cost and compatibility with scalable, low energy demanding fabrication techniques, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the most promising PV technology to replace silicon. However, there are challenges towards their commercialisation, including the low operational stability, the use of expensive components (gold) and the need for expensive, high temperature/vacuum deposition equipment. These complexities increase the manufacturing cost/carbon footprint and reduce the manufacturing throughput. A promising way to overcome these challenges is by adopting the Carbon-based PSCs (CPSCs) configuration, in which the gold electrode is replaced by a low-cost printable carbon (graphite-based) conductive film. However, due to the electronic losses at the Carbon/Perovskite interface and the high sheet resistance of graphite-based Carbon electrodes (>10 Ohm/sq), the highest reported certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) for CPSC is just 12.8%. The research carried out under this proposal aims to: 1) generate the first CPSC with certified PCE > 20% and operational lifetime comparable to commercial technologies and 2) demonstrate stable CPSC modules (100cm2) with >15% PCE. This will be enabled by exploiting novel printable Graphene Nanoplate based electrodes (replacing graphite), perovskite passivation and interfacial engineering approaches. Such an outcome would be tremendously important for the EU market and will attract the attention of industry towards commercialization. The expected outcome will enable a significant reduction in the levelized cost of electricity to 0.03 €/kWh, even below the cost of traditional energy sources. Also, a significant reduction of CO2 emissions is expected, thanks to the excellent device lifetime potential and the low energy demanding fabrication processes. Therefore, the demonstration of CPSCs with the aforementioned capabilities would represent a significant scientific and technological breakthrough.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materialstwo-dimensional nanostructuresgraphene
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivity
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland