By stacking a perovskite layer on top of a silicon base, engineers are pushing efficiencies toward 40%, potentially halving the cost of solar power in the coming decades.
The foundation of solar energy is the , first observed in 1839 by Edmond Becquerel. To understand how it works, we have to look at the subatomic level of semiconductors, usually silicon. Solar Energy: The Physics and Engineering of Ph...
The engineering frontier is currently focused on and Tandem Cells . While traditional silicon cells have a theoretical efficiency limit (the Shockley-Queisser limit) of about 33%, layering different materials allows the cell to capture different parts of the light spectrum. By stacking a perovskite layer on top of
To make these electrons move in a specific direction (creating a current), engineers create a P-N junction. By "doping" silicon with elements like phosphorus (yielding an n-type layer with extra electrons) and boron (yielding a p-type layer with "holes"), an internal electric field is established. This field pushes the excited electrons toward the front of the cell and the holes toward the back. The Engineering: Building an Efficient Cell The engineering frontier is currently focused on and