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NREL explores long-term strategies for sustainable perovskite solar panels

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NREL explores long-term strategies for sustainable perovskite solar panels


NREL explores long-term strategies for sustainable perovskite solar panels

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 24, 2024






Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are examining the future of perovskite solar panels, focusing on scaling, deploying, and designing panels to be recyclable.

Perovskite solar panels could play a key role in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With the technology still in its developmental stages, researchers are emphasizing the importance of designing these panels to minimize environmental impact.



“When you have a technology in its very early stages, you have the ability to design it better. It’s a cleaner slate,” said Joey Luther, a senior research fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and coauthor of the newly published article in the journal Nature Materials. “Pushing perovskite PV toward enhanced sustainability makes more sense at this stage. We’re thinking about how we can make sure we have a sustainable product now rather than dealing with sustainability issues toward the end of its practical life.”



The article highlights the PV research community’s influential position to prioritize remanufacturing, recycling, and reliability efforts, aiming to make perovskite PV one of the most sustainable energy sources available.



“Perovskites could unlock the next evolution of high-efficiency PV, and it is our responsibility to assure they are manufactured, used, and recycled sustainably,” said the lead author of the study, Kevin Prince, a former graduate researcher at NREL who now researches perovskites at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin in Germany.



While silicon solar panels dominate the industry and cadmium telluride (CdTe) panels have established recycling programs, perovskites are at a critical point where sustainability issues can be addressed from the start.



The most effective circular economy begins at the design stage, considering materials sourcing, product lifetime, and end-of-life management. Researchers suggest assessing environmental impacts by looking at carbon emissions during production, embodied energy, sustainable material sourcing, and module circularity.



The journal article identifies critical sustainability concerns for each component of a perovskite solar panel. For instance, lead can be diluted with metals like tin to reduce lead content, though this may affect PV efficiency and durability. Expensive precious metals such as silver and gold could be replaced with cheaper alternatives like aluminum, copper, or nickel. Fluorine-tin oxide is recommended over the scarcer indium-tin oxide for front electrodes.



“We want to have the lowest amount of embodied energy in the fabrication,” Luther said. “We want to have the lowest amount of emissions in the fabrication. At this stage, now is the chance to look at those components. I don’t think we have to change anything. It’s more a matter of what decisions should be made, and these arguments should certainly be discussed.”



The authors discuss various ways to improve the circularity of perovskite panels. Remanufacturing involves reusing parts from old modules to make new ones, while recycling converts waste materials into raw materials for reuse. Attention is needed for the specialized glass used in perovskite modules, which is crucial for structural support and protection while allowing maximum sunlight penetration. Establishing a recycling pathway for this glass will be essential as PV deployment increases.



Silvana Ovaitt, a PV researcher and coauthor of the paper, noted that cleaner electricity grids will lead to cleaner manufacturing processes, further reducing emissions.



“Another concern is the transportation of the final modules and the raw glass because those are the heaviest items,” Ovaitt said. “Local manufacturing will be a great way to reduce those carbon impacts.”



The researchers explain that increasing the durability of PV modules, thereby extending their useful life, is a more effective approach to reducing net energy, energy payback, and carbon emissions than designing for circularity alone. A longer lifespan means panels won’t need to be recycled as often.



“Ultimately, we want to make them as durable as possible,” Luther said. “But we also want to consider the aspects of whenever that time does come. We want to be deliberate about how to take them apart and to reuse the critical components.”



Research Report:Sustainability pathways for perovskite photovoltaics


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DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance

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DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance


DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance

by Riko Seibo

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 04, 2024







A research team led by Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University’s Professor Tae Kyung Lee and Kookmin University’s Professor Younghoon Kim, has developed a new method that significantly boosts the performance and longevity of perovskite quantum dot solar cells. Their innovative approach addresses a key issue: surface distortions on quantum dots that hinder solar cell efficiency.

Perovskite quantum dots are widely regarded as essential for next-generation solar cells due to their high light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and scalability. However, the process of replacing the “ligands” on their surface often causes distortions, akin to crumpled paper, that degrade solar cell performance.



The research team tackled this problem by introducing short ligands that firmly grip both sides of the quantum dots. This method effectively restores the quantum dot’s distorted surface, resembling the process of flattening crumpled paper. By smoothing the surface, they significantly reduced defects and improved both the performance and the stability of the solar cells. The power conversion efficiency rose from 13.6% to 15.3%, and the cells maintained 83% of their performance over 15 days, marking a major advancement in solar cell technology.



“Through this research, we could minimize surface defects on the quantum dots and stabilize their surfaces by newly adopting these amphiphilic ligands, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and stability of the solar cells,” explained Professor Jongmin Choi. He also noted the team’s intention to extend this approach to other photoelectric devices in the future.



This study, a collaborative effort by DGIST, Gyeongsang National University, and Kookmin University, was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology, the DGIST R and D Program, and the New Faculty Research Foundation at Gyeongsang National University. The findings were published in the ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’ on September 15, 2024.



Research Report:Multifaceted anchoring ligands for uniform orientation and enhanced cubic-phase stability of perovskite quantum dots


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Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant

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Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant


Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant

by AFP Staff Writers

Manila (AFP) Sept 30, 2024






President Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated on Monday the first factory for electric vehicle batteries in the Philippines, calling it the “future” of clean energy.

The Australian-owned lithium-iron-phosphate factory aims to produce two gigawatt-hours of batteries per year by 2030, powering about 18,000 electric vehicles or nearly half a million home battery systems.

“We have worked very hard and tried to do our best to bring this kind of technology to the Philippines with a clear recognition that this is the future,” Marcos said in a livestreamed speech.

“As the first manufacturing plant in the Philippines for advanced iron phosphate batteries… (it) sets the stage for the Philippines to become a player in clean energy storage in our part of the world.”

Located in New Clark city north of Manila, the StB Giga Factory Inc. facility will create 2,500 local jobs and channel five billion pesos ($89.2 million) into the economy each year, Marcos said.

The investment aligns with the government’s efforts to “transition our country to renewable energy”, and would help Manila “entice more investors in renewable energy facilities in the country”, he added.

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Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant

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Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant


Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant

by AFP Staff Writers

Beijing (AFP) Sept 29, 2024






A fire broke out Sunday at a factory belonging to Chinese battery giant CATL, which supplies electric vehicle makers including Tesla, but only a “relatively small” impact on operations is expected, the company said.

A CATL spokesperson said no injuries or casualties had occurred at the plant in the coastal city of Ningde, and that “the reasons behind this accident are still under investigation”.

Emergency services were sent to the plant to fight the fire and to organise the evacuation of any people who were inside the 15,000 square metre (160,000 square feet) site, a statement by the Dongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone said.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze just before 11:30 AM local time (0330 GMT).

It was not immediately clear what was produced at the plant, CATL’s base in the eastern province of Fujian, but the company said the effect of the now extinguished fire would not be significant.

“The impact to CATL’s overall production operation is relatively small,” the spokesperson said.

Videos published by the Chinese business media outlet Cailianshe, and posted on the Weibo social network, showed parts of a large white building in flames with thick gray smoke rising into the air.

AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.

CATL was founded in 2011 and produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold worldwide for automakers that include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.

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