Light-weight, cheap and ultra-thin perovskite crystals have promised to shake-up renewable energy for some time. Research led by Professor Anita Ho-Baillie means they are ready to take the next steps towards commercialisation.
Australian solar cell research has received a $29.2 million boost from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and UNSW captured the lion’s share with 11 of the 22 projects.
They’re flexible, cheap to produce and simple to make – which is why perovskites are the hottest new material in solar cell design. And now, UNSW engineers have smashed the world efficiency record.
A UNSW engineer who helped energise "lazy" hydrogen to increase the efficiency of the solar cell has won a prestigious Green Talents award and a three-month research placement in Germany.
Australia can capture a “fair share” of the US$2.5 trillion in forecast global investment in renewables, Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said on a visit to UNSW’s solar energy research facilities.
Australian engineers have edged closer to the theoretical limits of sunlight-to-electricity conversion by photovoltaic cells with a device that sets a new world efficiency record.
‘Zero-energy’ buildings – which generate as much power as they consume – are now much closer after a UNSW team achieved the world’s highest efficiency using flexible solar cells that are non-toxic and cheap to make.
