IIT Guwahati researchers develop cost-effective solar cells to produce electricity from sunlight

GUWAHATI:

Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed hybrid perovskite-based solar (or photovoltaic devices) to produce electricity from sunlight.

The research team comprising Rabindranath Garai, Ritesh Kant Gupta, Arvin Sain Tanwar, and Maimur Hossain, worked under the supervision of Prof Parameswar K Iyer to develop the devices which are highly efficient, cost-effective, easy to manufacture, and recyclable.

Currently, inorganic solar cells (Silicon-based) are major players in the market. However, this technology requires high-temperature processing, resulting in the high price of solar panels, thereby making the recycling of solar panels hazardous and complicated.

Speaking about the research, Prof Iyer stated, “Organic-inorganic hybrid PSCs have experienced rapid growth in terms of efficiency and stability due to the development of highly efficient functional materials combined with careful device engineering. The materials design can be tailored at the molecular level whereas the fabrication process is printable and solution-based, making the overall solar cell development process economical and scalable.”

The perovskite solar cells (PSCs) research has experienced tremendous attention due to their exponential growth within a decade. However, they are extremely unstable towards ambient (humidity and oxygen) conditions that restrict their commercialization, informed Prof Iyer.

It was informed that these devices utilise economical, solution-based, photovoltaic device processing techniques at mild room temperature and realizing high ambient, thermal and optical stability.

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