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rare-earth-free solar cell breakthrough

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:47 pm
by NoraBatty
Apologies if spoken about elsewhere.

This should quiet some naysayers.

https://interestingengineering.com/ener ... solar-cell

Re: rare-earth-free solar cell breakthrough

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:04 am
by dan_b
Perovskite-based solar cells have been in development for quite a while and is certainly a route to even cheaper panels - I think there's also been research into combining perovskite with traditional solar cells to improve the output per m2 even further.

I think the issue with perovskite has been its durability?

Re: rare-earth-free solar cell breakthrough

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 12:58 pm
by NoraBatty
dan_b wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:04 am Perovskite-based solar cells have been in development for quite a while and is certainly a route to even cheaper panels - I think there's also been research into combining perovskite with traditional solar cells to improve the output per m2 even further.

I think the issue with perovskite has been its durability?
Perovskite solar cells have had rare earth metals added to them to increase their durability for ages, because, as you rightly say, without it there is a significant issue.

Sheffield are developing a way to increase stability and durability and remove the need for rare earth metals whilst making an extremely slim extremely lightweight and possibly flexible panel, that can be put on all areas traditional heavy panels cannot go due to their weight.

Paper here
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/article ... c8ee03517b

Link to their other work, plus work on stability of perovskites here
https://epmm.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/photovoltaics

Re: rare-earth-free solar cell breakthrough

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 1:21 pm
by Stan
dan_b wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:04 am Perovskite-based solar cells have been in development for quite a while and is certainly a route to even cheaper panels - I think there's also been research into combining perovskite with traditional solar cells to improve the output per m2 even further.

I think the issue with perovskite has been its durability?
Just to be accurate, Oxford Photovoltaics began shipping this type of combined panel to the US in September 2024.