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Category: solar power – Page 2

Scientists have created solar cells using simulated Moon dust, potentially solving one of space exploration’s biggest challenges: how to generate reliable energy far from Earth.

These new cells, made with perovskite and moonglass, are lighter, cheaper, and more radiation-resistant than traditional space solar panels. Even better, they can be made using lunar materials, drastically reducing launch costs and making future Moon bases more feasible. If successful in real lunar conditions, these Moon-made solar panels could power entire off-world colonies.

Powering Space with Moon Dust.

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The same dirt that clings to astronauts’ boots may one day keep their lights on. In a study published in Device, researchers created solar cells made out of simulated moon dust. The cells convert sunlight into energy efficiently, withstand radiation damage, and mitigate the need for transporting heavy materials into space, offering a potential solution to one of space exploration’s biggest challenges: reliable energy sources.

“The solar cells used in space now are amazing, reaching efficiencies of 30% to even 40%, but that efficiency comes with a price,” says lead researcher Felix Lang of the University of Potsdam, Germany. “They are very expensive and are relatively heavy because they use glass or thick foil as cover. It’s hard to justify lifting all these cells into space.”

Instead of hauling solar cells from Earth, Lang’s team is looking at materials available on the moon itself. They aim to replace Earth-made glass with glass crafted from —the moon’s loose, rocky surface debris. This change alone could cut a spacecraft’s launch mass by 99.4%, slash 99% of transport costs, and make long-term lunar settlements more feasible.

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These limits have kept solar tech stuck on rooftops and in fields. But a new type of cell, almost invisible to the eye, may soon change that. Transparent solar cells could turn windows, cars, and even skin into energy-harvesting surfaces.

Unlike the old models, these next-gen cells don’t clash with their surroundings. They blend in while still capturing sunlight. Some are so clear they reach up to 79% transparency. On average, most hover above 70%, allowing them to function without being noticed.

A major reason for this leap forward lies in materials only a few atoms thick. Known as 2D materials, they’re helping reshape what solar panels can do. One group, called transition metal dichalcogenides, absorbs light well and has band gaps that can be tuned.

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Unlike conventional silicon-based solar cells, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are not only thin and lightweight, but can also be seamlessly applied to curved surfaces, like building facades and vehicle roofs. What’s more, they can be easily manufactured at room temperature using a solution process, leading to significantly reduced production costs.

However, for PSCs to achieve commercialization, it is crucial to develop technologies that maintain high efficiency over extended periods. A research team affiliated with UNIST has successfully made strides in this area. Their work is published in the journal Joule.

Professor Sang Il Seok of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, along with researchers Jongbeom Kim and Jaewang Park, has developed an interlayer that leverages the specificity of organic cations on the surface of PSCs, simultaneously achieving and durability.

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Researchers from the Chair of Optics and Photonics of Condensed Matter led by Prof. Dr. Carsten Deibel at the Chemnitz University of Technology and other partner institutions are currently working on solar cells made from novel organic semiconductors that can be produced using established printing processes. The scientists are collaborating interdisciplinarily to fundamentally understand these photovoltaic cells in order to further improve them.

“Organic solar cells can be produced very easily and cheaply using printing processes,” says Deibel. In contrast to established made of , however, the current flow in is very slow.

“Due to the production of the solar cells from a kind of ink, the organic, light-absorbing layers are very disordered. Therefore, the current flow is very slow,” explains Deibel. A consequence of the slow transport of light-generated electrons and holes is the so-called transport resistance, which reduces the fill factor of the solar cells and thus the power.

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Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new technology to manufacture solar cells.

Solar energy is growing rapidly in the United States. In 2010, it accounted for 0.1% of electrical generation in the country and has increased to over 6% in 2024. By 2029, solar is slated to become the largest source of renewable energy.

Most commercial solar panels are made from silicon. Producing solar panels like this is energy-intensive and can be difficult to do within the United States. For solar to take off more in the United States, we need to find a less expensive, more available material.

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Photovoltaic (PV) solutions, which are designed to convert sunlight into electrical energy, are becoming increasingly widespread worldwide. Over the past decades, engineers specialized in energy solutions have been trying to identify new solar cell designs and PV materials that could achieve even better power conversion efficiencies, while also retaining their stability and reliably operating for long periods of time.

The many emerging PV solutions that have proven to be particularly promising include tandem based on both perovskites (a class of materials with a characteristic crystal structure) and organic materials. Perovskite/organic tandem solar cells could be more affordable than existing silicon-based solar cells, while also yielding higher power conversion efficiencies.

These solar cells are manufactured using wide-bandgap perovskites, which have an electronic bandgap greater than 1.6 electronvolts (eV) and can thus absorb higher-energy photons. Despite their enhanced ability to absorb high-energy light particles, these materials have significant limitations, which typically adversely impact the stability of solar cells.

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