IIT Bhilai researchers working towards more efficient, cost-effective solar energy – Times of India

This research is supported by funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The research has been published in ACS Applied Energy Materials.
Solar energy is an abundant and green and renewable energy source. Electricity production via sunlight using solar cells is the best way to use this renewable energy resource.

Silicon panels are used for electricity generation from solar cells. The production of this material needs high temperatures and complex techniques which makes it an expensive enterprise, raising the cost of solar energy production as well.
The use of perovskite makes solar energy production more efficient. Recent research shows that a crystal structure called 3D halide perovskite has increased the efficiency of solar cells up to 25%. It can be produced in large areas through simple low-temperature processing. However, this production faces a challenge in the form of instability due to moisture. This is a significant hurdle in the commercial production of this 3D structure. While 2-D layered perovskites are more resistant to moisture but they exhibit low solar cell efficiency.