Scientists from Australia have taken the polluting bite out of solar cell production by adding fluoride to a water-based solution.
The innovation has allowed experts from Queensland University of Technology to remove toxic solvents from a mix that had been used to craft perovskite solar cells. It’s a big win for the cleaner energy source, according to a summary published by Tech Xplore.
Perovskites are a low-cost, crystal-structured mineral group with great potential for converting sun rays to electricity. Researchers have created cells that can garner greater than 26% efficiency, but they haven’t been commercialized yet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
A hurdle has been a much shorter lifespan — only a couple of years for perovskites versus up to three decades for conventional panels, often made from silicon, per Solar Magazine. EnergySage added that most solar panels on the market have at least…
