Vietnamese PhD student makes breakthrough in search of alternative energy

The research was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials and received $3.6 million in research funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have set a new world record in developing a low-cost solar cell that could revolutionise the way we generate solar electricity.

Professor Kylie Catchpole and PhD student The Duong of Australian National University.

A research team led by Professor Kylie Catchpole and PhD student The Duong has achieved 26% efficiency in converting sunlight into energy using perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite is a composite material with a crystalline structure that helps capture light.

“We didn't know about these materials until about five years ago,” says Professor Catchpole.

“And they're turning out to be really impressive in solar cells – something that was really unexpected.”

In a lab at the ANU Research School of Engineering, scientists experimented with placing perovskite solar cells on top of silicon solar cells.

“Silicon solar cells have certain limits in efficiency,” said Professor Catchpole.

“However, perovskite cells are much more efficient at absorbing blue light.”

The Race for Low-Cost Alternative Energy

Silicon solar cells are currently used in 90% of solar power generation, but scientists around the world are working to make them more efficient, cheaper, more stable and more reliable.

International companies are also exploring the commercial uses of alternative energy.

“So far, this type of efficiency has only been achieved using high-cost materials commonly used on satellites,” said Mr. Duong.

“We are now getting closer to a low-cost alternative.”

While 100 per cent efficiency is not possible, the ANU team is aiming to increase efficiency to 30 per cent and beyond, Professor Catchpole said.

“It's important to realize that every percent you gain reduces manufacturing costs and therefore reduces costs for the user,” she said.

The research was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials and received $3.6 million in research funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

According to VNN