Solar Energy
New perovskite fabrication method for solar cells paves way to large-scale production
A new, simpler solution process for fabricating stable perovskite solar cells overcomes the key bottleneck to large-scale production and commercialization of this promising renewable-energy technology, which has remained tantalizingly out of reach for more than a decade.
“”Our work paves the way for low-cost, high-throughput commercial-scale production of large-scale solar modules in the near future,” said Wanyi Nie, a research scientist fellow in the Center of Integrated Nanotechnologies at Los Alamos National Laboratory and corresponding author of the paper, which was published in the journal Joule.
“We were able to demonstrate the approach through two mini-modules that reached champion levels of converting sunlight to power with greatly extended operational lifetimes. Since this process is facile and low cost, we believe it can be easily adapted to scalable fabrication in industrial settings.”
The team invented a one-step spin coating method using sulfolane, a liquid solvent. The new process allowed the team, a collaboration among Los Alamos and researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU), to produce high-yield, large-area photovoltaic devices that are highly efficient in creating power from sunlight. These perovskite solar cells also have a long operational lifetime.
“We are excited about this achievement,” said Prof. Leeyih Wang, the principal investigator of the NTU group and one of the corresponding authors, “this is a new synthetic route that is widely applicable in the rich perovskite material family.” Hsin-Hsiang Huang, a graduate student at NTU and the first author of this paper, said, “We have implemented new chemistry to push it towards a technologically relevant demonstration.”
Perovskite photovoltaics, seen as a viable competitor to the familiar silicon-based photovoltaics on the market for decades, have been a highly anticipated emerging technology over the last decade. Commercialization has been stymied by the lack of a solution to the field’s grand challenge: scaling up production of high-efficiency perovskite solar cell modules from the bench-top to the factory floor.
The research paper shows a new route to fabrication by introducing sulfolane as an additive in the perovskite precursor, or the liquid material that creates the perovskite crystal through a chemical reaction. As in other fabrication methods, that crystal is then deposited on a substrate.
Through a simple dipping method, the team was able to deposit a uniform, high-quality perovskite crystalline thin film covering a large active area in two mini-modules, one of about 16 square centimeters and the other nearly 37 square centimeters. Fabricating uniform thin film across the entire photovoltaic module’s area is essential to device performance.
The mini modules achieved a power conversion efficiency of 17.58% and 16.06%, respectively. Those efficiencies are among the top achievable efficiencies reported to date. The power conversion efficiency is a measure of how effectively sunlight is converted into electricity.
For other perovskite fabrication methods, one of the major roadblocks to industrial-scale fabrication is their narrow processing window, the time during which the film can be laid down on the substrate. To get a uniform crystalline film that’s well bonded to the layer below it, the deposition process has to be strictly controlled within a matter of seconds.
Using sulfolane in the perovskite precursor extends the processing window from 9 seconds to 90 seconds, forming highly crystalline, compact layers over a large area while being less dependent on the processing conditions.
The sulfolane method can be easily adapted to existing industrial fabrication techniques, which helps to pave the path toward commercialization.
A perovskite is any material with a particular crystal structure similar to the mineral perovskite. Perovskites can be engineered and fabricated in extremely thin films, which makes them useful for solar photovoltaic cells.
Record efficiency milestone reached in ecofriendly organic solar technology
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Apr 30, 2025
As global momentum builds toward sustainable energy solutions, researchers have made a major breakthrough in solar technology by developing all-organic solar cells with record-setting efficiency. Unlike conventional silicon or perovskite solar cells, which pose environmental hazards due to their metallic and toxic components, these carbon-based alternatives promise cleaner disposal and reduced costs.
Led by Associate Professor Masahiro Nakano from Kanazawa University’s Institute of Science and Engineering, in partnership with REIKO Co., Ltd. and Queen’s University at Kingston, the team successfully engineered organic solar cells that achieve 8.7% power conversion efficiency (PCE) – more than double the previous benchmark of 4%.
This leap in performance overcomes two longstanding technological barriers. First, earlier organic solar cells lacked suitable transparent electrodes that could be produced without harming the device’s organic layers. Conventional fabrication methods relied on corrosive chemicals or temperatures exceeding 150oC. The team instead utilized the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS to produce transparent electrodes at just 80oC, without strong acids or bases, achieving sheet resistance below 70 O/sq.
Second, traditional solution-based processes risk damaging underlying layers when stacking new films. The researchers addressed this by creating a lamination technique using carbon nanotube electrodes. These electrodes are fabricated independently and then affixed to the solar cell, preserving the integrity of internal layers during assembly.
The implications of this innovation are significant. All-organic solar cells are lightweight, flexible, and free from hazardous materials, making them ideal for use in agriculture, wearable technology, and installations where traditional panels are impractical. The research team aims to further boost efficiency by enhancing the conductivity of organic electrode materials.
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Photovoltaic rooftops could supply over one third of Vitoria Gasteiz energy needs
by Hugo Ritmico
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Apr 30, 2025
In a new study by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), researchers found that rooftop solar installations in Vitoria-Gasteiz could supply up to 38% of the city’s annual electricity consumption. The analysis highlights rooftop photovoltaic systems as a key renewable energy strategy for urban decarbonization, especially where land availability is limited.
The research assessed the energy potential of rooftops across the capital of Alava-Araba, concluding that half of the total rooftop area is viable for solar installations. “In contrast to large-scale photovoltaic projects in rural zones, we aimed to understand the capacity of already urbanized environments, avoiding further land use impacts,” said lead researcher Alex Tro.
A major advance in this study is the deployment of a new high-precision methodology developed by Ekopol at UPV/EHU. This approach leverages open-source Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to assess rooftop potential using detailed local data rather than generalized assumptions. The tool incorporates variables such as building orientation, shading, tilt, solar radiation, ambient temperatures, and the projected efficiency and lifespan of photovoltaic panels.
Unlike standard assessments focused solely on economic return, the study introduces an energy viability filter based on Energy Return on Investment (EROI). This ensures that only rooftops capable of generating more energy than is consumed during panel installation and operation are considered viable. “This innovative criterion allows us to exclude technically possible but energetically inefficient installations,” Tro explained.
Findings also show that solar generation potential is significantly higher on the city’s outskirts, where rooftops are less obstructed by surrounding buildings. Central areas, dense with tall structures, pose greater challenges due to shadowing and spatial limitations.
The methodology, which uses publicly accessible data, is designed to be easily replicated for urban energy planning in other cities. It calculates solar output potential down to each square meter of rooftop area, offering a practical planning tool for municipalities and energy agencies.
Tro emphasized that while rooftop photovoltaics offer meaningful contributions, they are not a standalone solution. “Even under ideal implementation scenarios, solar rooftops alone cannot satisfy current urban energy demands. Real progress will also require systemic changes, such as shifting consumption habits and embracing an eco-social transition,” he said.
Research Report:A methodology for assessing rooftop solar photovoltaic potential using GIS open-source software and the EROI constraint
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University of the Basque Country
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China says wind and solar energy capacity exceeds thermal for first time
By Sam Davies and Luna Lin
Beijing (AFP) April 25, 2025
China’s wind and solar energy capacity has surpassed that of mostly coal-powered thermal for the first time, the national energy body said Friday.
China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that drive climate change, has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
While around 60 percent of China’s energy comes from coal, the country is also a renewable energy powerhouse, building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined, according to research published last year.
“In the first quarter of 2025, China’s newly installed wind and photovoltaic power capacity totalled 74.33 million kilowatts, bringing the cumulative installed capacity to 1.482 billion kilowatts,” the national energy body said.
That surpassed the installed capacity of thermal power (1.451 billion kilowatts) for the first time.
President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that “no matter how the international situation changes”, the country’s efforts to combat climate change “will not slow down”.
Xi also said China would announce its 2035 greenhouse gas reduction commitments, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), before COP30 in November and that it would cover all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide.
President Donald Trump meanwhile has pulled the United States, the world’s second-largest polluter, out of the Paris climate accord while pledging a vast expansion in fossil fuel exploitation.
-‘Structural change’-
China’s new milestone comes as the country experiences explosive growth in renewable energy.
Last year, China added a record 357 gigawatts of wind and solar, 10 times the US’s additions.
It met a 2030 target to install 1,200 GW of solar and wind capacity almost six years early.
Friday’s announcement said that wind and solar additions in the first quarter had “far exceeded” China’s total increase in electricity consumption.
“This trend is very likely to continue in the following months and quarters in 2025,” Yao Zhe, Global Policy adviser at Greenpeace East Asia, told AFP.
That suggests China’s power sector is undergoing “structural change and the sector’s carbon emissions are one small step away from peaking”.
However, coal continues to play a key role in China’s energy mix.
“The intermittency of variable renewables like wind and solar… means it’s generally inappropriate to compare them to firm, dispatchable power sources like coal,” according to David Fishman, senior manager at the Lantau Group.
“There is indeed some combination of wind plus solar plus storage that equals one coal plant, but the determination is different everywhere in the world.”
And China’s energy consumption continues to grow — by 4.3 percent last year.
Covering that growth with renewable power is a “tough proposition for a developing country with a huge heavy industrial segment and a residential population that frankly doesn’t even use that much electricity on a per capita basis”, Fishman said.
Despite the renewable energy boom, China also began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal power projects in 2024, 93 percent of the global total, according to a February report from the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) in the United States.
China’s coal production has risen steadily in recent years, from 3.9 billion tons in 2020 to 4.8 billion tons in 2024.
That is despite Xi pledging to “strictly control” coal power before “phasing it down” between 2026 and 2030.
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