Jakarta, INTI - Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed ultrathin transparent solar cells made from perovskite materials that can absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.
Led by Associate Professor Annalisa Bruno, the NTU researchers created perovskite solar cells that are about 10,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair and around 50 times thinner than conventional perovskite solar cells.
The findings, published in the journal ACS Energy Letters, have the potential to transform buildings, cars, and other devices into sustainable energy generators from sunlight.
According to the research paper published in the journal, the NTU research team used thermal evaporation technology, which relies on a vacuum method, to precisely create cells with microscopic layers of perovskite.
Compared to conventional solar cells, the newly developed cells are said to be much thinner but have impressive power conversion efficiency. Perovskite is considered to have excellent light absorption capabilities, making it suitable for the type of solar panels developed by the researchers.
Buildings and Cars Can Transform into Energy Generators
The main advantage of the solar cells developed by the NTU researchers is their completely transparent and colorless appearance.
Buildings are currently estimated to account for around 40 percent of global energy consumption. With the development of new, thin, transparent solar cells, glass surfaces on buildings could potentially be transformed into energy generators.
In addition to architectural needs, this solar cell innovation is also claimed to be able to be used in vehicle windows, glass roofs, and smart glasses to generate power for electronic devices.
Conclusion
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University have developed ultra-thin, transparent solar cells made from perovskite, capable of absorbing sunlight to generate electricity. This technology uses thermal evaporation method, producing microscopic perovskite layers with high power conversion efficiency despite the thin size. This innovation has the potential to transform glass surfaces in buildings, vehicles, and even devices like smart glasses into energy generators.
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