This implies that high-efficiency solar cells should be employed. The mature and dominant Si solar cells would be an obvious choice. Alternatively, thin-film PV such as CIGS solar cells are also an option. PSCs that have already demonstrated to be superior to thin-film PV (at lab scale) can also be used.
The government is planning to introduce more than 1 GW of solar energy in the coming years. Several announcements have been made, 3 MW of utility-scale PV was operational begin of 2018, and 800 MW more had been approved.
A great contender in advancing photovoltaics are perovskite solar cells. Perovskite solar cells have increased their efficiency from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.7% in late 20172. Perovskite solar cells have the potential to achieve higher efficiencies at very low production costs.
And today, PERC is the new standard – at least for monocrystalline cells, which is on its way to becoming the leading crystalline cell species. While cell manufacturers continue to expand into standard PERC, several stakeholders involved in solar cell production are offering and working on processes and materials to bring PERC to the next level.
The photoelectric power conversion efficiency of the perovskite solar cells has increased from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2016, making perovskite solar cells the best potential candidate for the new generation of solar cells to replace traditional silicon solar cells in the future.
The goal of this project is to design a lead-free perovskite solar cell with an efficiency of 10%. Perovskite research is moving away from away from lead-based materials because lead is less stable and is very toxic. This is important for the economic success and environmental viability of perovskite solar cells.