Perovskite - the next big thing in solar power

The future of solar is bright with potential growth reaching to over 50% of the world’s power production in the next 20 years. The dire need to decrease reliance on fossil fuels coupled with the solar industry offering a progressively more cost-effective energy option has seen a marked increase in solar use in the last 5 years. This movement has had a recent boost with research into a new, potentially cheaper and more efficient solar cell option, perovskite.

Perovskite solar cells are said to be the next big thing in solar power advancement. Being more economical to produce at present than silicon cells, and with versatile applications extending beyond the roof mounted solar panel, perovskite offers a fresh direction for solar energy.

However, before perovskite can become a major player in the solar power industry there are a few hurdles researchers have to overcome. The currently a perovskite solar cell is produced with small amounts of highly toxic lead which could have both health and environmental impacts. Another challenge to developers is the products instability when in contact with moisture, a huge issue considering its application.

We are keeping a close eye on future developments around the use of perovskite within the solar power industry and hope to see the creation of a cost-effective, highly efficient solar cell in the coming years.

References - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-diamandis/disrupting-solar_b_9865216.html,http://phys.org/news/2016-07-perovskite-solar-cells-boost-widespread.html

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