Stanford scientists invent record-fast technology to manufacture perovskite solar modules

Stanford scientists invent an ultrafast manufacturing process to produce stable perovskite cells and assemble them into solar modules that could power devices, buildings and even the electricity grid, according to the study Rapid Open-Air Fabrication of Perovskite Solar Modules published by the research team in the Nov. 25 issue of the journal Joule.  

Study senior author Reinhold Dauskardt, the Ruth G. and William K. Bowes Professor in the Stanford School of Engineering said:

“This work provides a new milestone for perovskite manufacturing. It resolves some of the most formidable barriers to module-scale manufacturing that the community has been dealing with for years.”

This high-speed manufacturing technology uses a robotic device that manufactures perovskite solar cells at a rate of 40 feet per minute. The record-fast processor uses two nozzles to make thin films of photovoltaic perovskite. One nozzle spray-coats a chemical solution onto a pane of glass, while the other releases a burst of highly reactive ionized gas or plasma.

Nick Rolston, Stanford postdoctoral scholar in materials science and engineering said:

“Conventional processing requires you to bake the perovskite solution for about half an hour. Our innovation is to use a plasma high-energy source to rapidly convert liquid perovskite into a thin-film solar cell in a single step.”

“We achieved the highest throughput of any solar technology. You can imagine large panels of glass placed on rollers and continuously producing layers of perovskite at speeds never accomplished before.”

“We want to make this process as applicable and broadly useful as possible. A plasma treatment system might sound fancy, but it’s something you can buy commercially for a very reasonable cost.”

Stable perovskite cells

Using this patented Rapid Spray Plasma Processing (RSPP) technology, the Stanford team was able to produce 40 feet (12 meters) of perovskite film per minute, which is about four times faster than it takes to manufacture a silicon cell.

In addition to a record production rate, the newly minted perovskite cells achieved a power conversion efficiency of 18 percent.

Perovskite modules

The Stanford team successfully created perovskite modules that continued to operate at 15.5 percent efficiency even after being left on the shelf for five months, and estimated that their perovskite modules can be manufactured for about 25 cents per square foot, which is far less than the $2.50 or so per square foot needed to produce a typical silicon module.

Conventional silicon modules produce electricity at a cost of about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. To compete with silicon, perovskite modules would have to be encapsulated in a weatherproof layer that keeps out moisture for at least a decade.

Towards this end, the research team is now exploring new encapsulation technologies and other ways to significantly improve durability.

Nick Rolston, Stanford postdoctoral scholar in materials science and engineering said:

“If we can build a perovskite module that lasts 30 years, we could bring down the cost of electricity below 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. At that price, we could use perovskites for utility-scale energy production. For example, a 100-megawatt solar farm.”

 

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Source: Press release by Stanford University. Photo credit: Nick Rolston / Stanford University.