Solar power to become cheaper and more efficient
A major breakthrough in the renewables sector promises to improve accessibility and costs associated with solar power.
The University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute has published new research into the use of an aluminium oxide ‘ink’ on the photovoltaic panels needed to harness the sun’s energy to fuel on and off-grid demand.
According to the team, this innovation can overcome one of the main issues with solar technology – the drop in energy output depending on weather conditions, time of day and year, in turn improving output and therefore also boosting value for money. Originally published in the journal RRL Solar, those responsible for the work believe this is a major milestone in convincing industries to take solar more seriously as a reliable replacement energy source.
‘Solar and wind energy costs are rapidly decreasing based on technology improvements, to the level where worldwide over 80% of all new additional power generation capacity is based on renewables,’ said Professor Ravi Silva, corresponding author of the research. ‘The levelised cost of solar electricity is now cheaper than most other power-generating sources. With the maturing of perovskite solar modules, the levelised cost of electricity will significantly decrease further, and that is why this is such an exciting area to work.’
‘Performance limits of traditional solar cells are why researchers are switching to examining perovskite as the next-generation solar technology, especially as applications both terrestrial and in space are rapidly growing,’ added Dr Imalka Jayawardena, from the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute. ‘Our key development in solar panel technology shows a cost-effective approach to scaling of perovskite solar cells, a development which could help countries around the world to reach their net zero targets faster.’
More on solar energy:
Modern slavery target of new solar supply chain procurement guide
Local governments speak out about National Grid clean energy delays
Image: CHUTTERSNAP