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German scientists believe that generating energy for future lunar habitats could be achieved by locally manufacturing halide perovskite cells using regolith-based lunar glass. German scientists have proposed that power generation for future lunar habitats could be achieved by locally manufacturing halide perovskite cells using regolith-based lunar glass. In the article “ Moon photovoltaics utilizing lunar regolith and halide perovskites,” published in Device , they explain that the proposed manufacturing solution could save 99% of the weight of material transport and, therefore, of costs. Scientists at the Institute of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Potsdam, led by Julián Mauricio Cuervo-Ortiz, also stated that local production of perovskites on the Moon would make it possible to achieve specific power ratios in excess of 22–50 W/g, a factor of 20–100 higher than traditional space solar solutions, and this could be achieved without compromising radiation shielding, reliability, and mechanical stability, as has been the case until now. Using a highly glass-forming anorthosite regolith simulant, we achieved transparent lunar glasses that allow the deposit of high-quality perovskites, the scientists say. The research group tested three device configurations based on opaque copper (Cu) electrodes in a superstrate configuration and transparent ultrathin metal and indium zinc oxide (IZO) designs in substrate configurations. In the substrate configurations, efficiencies reached 9.4% (with the ultrathin metal contact) and 12.1% (with IZO) on lunar glass under conditions not optimized for contact layer deposition, comparable to the efficiencies achieved on conventional glass substrates, the researchers emphasized. Further optimization of the transparent contact layers to reduce the series resistance of the devices could allow for efficiencies of 17.5%. According to the research, lunar glass exhibits high tolerance to irradiation by high-energy protons, which, combined with the radiation tolerance of perovskites, allows for reliable, highly radiation-tolerant devices that pave the way for future sustainable lunar energy solutions. Looking ahead, the researchers believe that perovskite solar cells manufactured on the Moon using the proposed process could achieve efficiencies exceeding 23%. By combining high radiation tolerance, the highest power-to-launched mass ratio, and simple fabrication, our lunar regolith-based perovskite solar cells are the most promising avenue for powering future lunar habitats in the near future, they conclude. |
