A new solar panel material called a perovskite tandem solar cell is being tested in space — and the results are looking good, PV Magazine reports.
Thanks to a team led by Dr. Felix Lang from the University of Potsdam, including researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Technical University of Berlin, two types of these new perovskite cells have been sent on their first satellite missions into space to test their durability and performance. (They're also being tested at the International Space Station.) After a successful launch in July, the early results are in.
The major benefit of perovskite is how much it will improve the efficiency of solar panels. Compared to the current industry standard — which turns 20% to 25% of the sunlight that hits it into electricity — perovskite models boast 35% to 45% efficiency, per PV Magazine.
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However, there were concerns that perovskite might gain efficiency at the cost of durability — wearing out sooner than existing solar panels. That's why this mission set out to test how the new tandem solar cells would hold up in the intense environment of space, 580 miles over the surface of the Earth, where they'd be bombarded with radiation and cycle between extreme heat and extreme cold.
PV Magazine explained that there are two types of cells chosen for the test: perovskite/CIGS and perovskite-silicon tandem cells. Perovskite absorbs the part of sunlight that's blue to green, and CIGS or silicon absorbs red and infrared radiation.
According to Dr. Lang, the satellite has already started sending back signals saying the equipment is working, even though the solar panels aren't aligned with the sun yet.
Those are already good results. But Dr. Lang doesn't just expect efficiency from the new solar cells. He also hopes that the perovskite will turn out to be self-healing, repairing some of the damage it absorbs from solar radiation. That would make it last even longer, making it a better choice than traditional solar panels.
For now, the team will continue to receive updates from the satellite mission, providing key insights into how this new material performs.
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