Utility Trade Group are big advocates of the use of solar energy, given our own solar PV solutions, as well as our recent article on how a very bright summer has led to a huge boon for solar energy. Two recent breakthroughs in solar technology could vastly change the effectiveness of this type of energy and create a powerhouse in renewable energy sources.
The first big change comes in the materials that may be used to create solar panels. Current commercial cells are made of silicon and whilst fit for purpose, they do have their restrictions – namely that they are heavy and limited in size. As such, scaling up can be very difficult.
A new material, called perovskites, could be used for the next generation of solar panels and is more flexible, lightweight, and cheaper to produce than the silicon alternatives. The hope is that these panels can be scaled up whilst retaining efficiency – the current benchmark has been a 22.4cm panel achieving 16.6% efficiency. This is very high for a panel of that size, with it maintaining that performance over a 2,000 hour testing period.
The second breakthrough could be much more impactful, however, as it tackles the way we harvest energy from the sun. The current method relies on the photovoltaic effect, which captures visible light that we then turn into electricity. This new breakthrough may allow us to harvest energy from non-visible light.
The spectrum of light that the sun emits is quite broad, but with a step forward in material usage, and the addition of tiny semiconductors known as quantum dots, this could allow us to capture the previously unusable invisible light and capture that energy. This change could see solar panel efficiency really improve in coming years.
Many of these changes will be a little time away however, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of the current offerings. You can explore our Solar PV solutions for both business and home or get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you on your path to net zero.
