Researchers generate solar power without a solar system

Researchers at the University of Oxford have succeeded in generating solar power without traditional solar systems. They coated everyday devices such as backpacks, cars and smartphones with perovskite films and transformed them into mini power plants.

Solar systems are playing an increasingly important role in the energy transition. However, many systems are bulky and cannot be installed everywhere. Scientists at the University of Oxford have therefore developed a method to generate solar energy without conventional solar panels.

To do this, they coated everyday objects such as backpacks, cars and smartphones with a new, light-absorbing material. This ultra-thin and flexible coating is made of perovskite. The material is now able to achieve a similarly high level of energy efficiency as silicon panels.

Solar power: everyday devices become solar systems

The special thing about this material is the flexible application scenarios. Perovskite can be applied to almost any surface. This means that solar energy could be generated in places where it was previously unimaginable. By stacking several light-absorbing layers in a solar cell, a broader spectrum is created, meaning more energy can be obtained from the same amount of sunlight.

The researchers, led by Professor Henry Snaith, increased the energy conversion efficiency of the material from six to over 27 percent within five years. They believe that their process could achieve even higher efficiencies of over 45 percent in the long term.

Perovskite: Coating is only one micrometer thick

Because the material is only about one micrometer thick, it is almost 150 times thinner than a silicon wafer. This allows manufacturers to apply it to a wide variety of surfaces, such as car roofs, buildings, or even the backs of cell phones. In the long term, the technology could reduce the need for traditional solar panels and lead to fewer solar farms in empty fields.

The company Oxford PV emerged from the university and has already begun large-scale production of these perovskite photovoltaics. It is thus operating the world's first production line for “perovskite-on-silicon” tandem solar cells in Brandenburg.

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