| Work Detail |
German and Greek scientists are working with industrial partners on the technological feasibility of manufacturing solar modules based on perovskite absorbers. The prototypes must be freely configurable in size, shape and color.
The research project Printed Perovskite Modules for Building Integrated Photovoltaics - "Printpero" - aims to develop highly efficient and cost-effective solar modules.
The proposed panels would incorporate perovskite-based thin-film solar cells that achieve efficiencies of more than 23% in the laboratory, said the coordinator of the German-Greek research project, the German Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe (KIT). Until now, similar processes developed under laboratory conditions have proved incapable of being translated into commercial production.
"One of the objectives of our project is, therefore, to replace laboratory processes with digital printing processes that work at low temperatures and are suitable for industrial production," said Printpero coordinator Ulrich Paetzold from KIT.
In addition to the stability of the modules, it is also important that they meet the requirements for their integration into buildings. As such, they would have to develop without limitations of size, shape and color. To achieve this, the scientists used the potential of digital inkjet printing and developed printable luminescent layers to make different color prints and protect the solar cells from harmful UV radiation, according to the KIT.
Initial results published
To improve the stability of the perovskite modules, the project partners worked to connect several cells in series to a large solar module, while encapsulating the modules to protect them from moisture and associated degradation.
In addition to KIT, the Institute of Technological Education of Western Greece and photovoltaic energy manufacturers Sunovation Produktion GmbH and Britte Hellas also participate in the Printpero project. The German-Greek research project, started last year, has a duration of three years and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, added KIT. |
