Solar power is the fastest-growing energy technology — and by a wide margin. In 2023, more than twice as much new electricity generation from solar was added globally as from coal. In fact, according to a recent report, both solar and wind are growing faster than any other source of electricity in history.
Much of this encouraging breakthrough in solar energy is thanks to silicon. This semiconductor comprises up to 95% of all solar panels across the world. However, manufacturing high-efficiency solar cells (over 25%) requires pure silicon that is heated to over 900 degrees Celsius to remove defects. It also has a fixed bandgap (range of light it can absorb) which is not ideal.
A new material for solar cells
In contrast, perovskite (a…
