How New Thin Film Solar Technologies Will Revolutionise the Solar Industry?

There’s a quiet excitement affecting the solar industry right now driven by thin film solar technology. 

A new paper has been published by the County Durham based, flexible solar manufacturer, Power Roll and scientists from the University of Sheffield which highlights the development of a new type of solar cell using a perovskite semiconductor.

The paper, published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials explains in detail the fabrication techniques of Power Roll’s proprietary thin-film solar technology, which unlike the process of creating traditional solar cells involves tiny grooves being embossed into plastic film before filling them with perovskite material. Importantly, the new technology eliminates the need for rare earth materials.

With the introduction of the new microgroove structure a new type of solar cell has been created that has a back-contact format. Devices normally use a sandwich structure which is composed of several different layers deposited in a particular order. In the case of back-contact cells all the electrical contacts are on the back of the device which makes it easier and cheaper to manufacture, with the added benefit of potentially higher efficiency.

Perovskites are probably one of the most significant developments that the solar industry has seen in recent years, due to their extraordinary lightweight and immense efficiency. Recently a team of scientists from the University of Oxford was able to demonstrate conversion efficiency in perovskite materials of as high as 27%. The research team believes that in the future, conversion efficiency could reach well over 45%, far greater than much of the technology on the market today.

Perovskites are not just more efficient and lower in weight but unlike other solar technologies they don’t require any rare earth elements which is greatly beneficial both in terms of financial cost and the human cost of sourcing such materials which have been linked to human rights abuses in the past. 
A new type of x-ray microscopy, developed by Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire helped the researchers to take highly detailed pictures of the solar cells. The hard x-ray nanoprobe microscope was used to check the structure and composition of the solar cells which helped to identify hidden problems like empty spaces, flaws in the material, and problems with the boundaries between tiny crystals within the semiconductor material so that they could find ways to improve them. 

This is the first time that this kind of analysis has been conducted on this type of solar cell, according to Power Roll. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) carried out further imaging where tests also evaluated the special performance of the cells. 

The paper indicates that these special cells can deliver a stabilised efficiency of 12.8% although it goes on to note that further research and manufacturing improvements could boost this. 

This innovative approach paves the way for producing lightweight solar films that can be used on surfaces such as rooftops and many unconventional surfaces that could not normally bear the weight of traditional solar panels. This new technology is also anticipated to be cheaper as these flexible solar cells do not contain any scarce and expensive elements. Both factors could fundamentally enhance the roll-out of solar especially in developing countries. This technological advancement could bring about real change by significantly speeding up the global drive to replace fossil fuels with sustainable solar energy. 

Many buildings in the UK are unable to bear the weight of traditional solar panels which is not surprising considering the age of the UK’s building stock. In particular, many industrial facilities that would be unable to support the weight of silicon panels but have enormous power usage needs would benefit from thin flexible solar cell technology.

Professor David Lidzey, from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the paper said: 

“A key advantage of these flexible films is that the panel can be stuck onto any surface. In the UK, you currently have to think twice about adding thick solar panels onto relatively fragile roofs of warehouses that are not really designed to be load-bearing. With this lightweight solar technology, you could essentially stick it anywhere. This could be a gamechanger for solar energy in low- and middle-income countries.”

Because this cutting-edge thin film solar technology provides a flexible, lightweight, and versatile alternative to traditional silicon-based solar panels it can transform how and where we harness energy from the sun.

Thin film solar cells can be used in more unusual settings. They can be integrated into unexpected surfaces such as building facades, windows, or the growing floating solar market. Their flexibility means they can be used in many ways and some of the barriers that have limited the adoption of solar energy can be overcome.

Power Roll has spent many years seeking answers on how to make thin, flexible solar cells that can be applied almost anywhere. Finally, their hard work is paying off and recently they have been hitting major milestones in commercialising the technology to get it out across the world. 

Dr Nathan Hill, senior scientist at Power Roll who led the paper, said: 

“This partnership demonstrates the potential of combining cutting-edge research with industrial innovation to deliver transformative solutions in renewable energy. We are advancing technology that could play a significant role in achieving global net-zero targets, and by combining our collective research and academic capabilities, we are able to further prove the science sitting behind Power Roll’s technology.”

To summarise there are 4 main advantages to Power Roll’s solar panels as follows:

• Research has shown that producing a new type of back-contact solar cell design using a perovskite material and tiny grooves embossed into plastic film, will allow scalable low-cost manufacturing. 
• By eliminating the use of expensive and scarce materials such as indium the technology can be both sustainable and affordable.
• Broader accessibility to solar power is viable, especially in developing countries due to the lightweight, flexible solar films that can be used on surfaces that couldn’t normally bear the weight of traditional solar panels.
• The new technology could make a real difference in the drive to replace fossil fuels with sustainable solar energy across the world. 

The University of Sheffield has made a name for itself as a global leader in sustainability and advance manufacturing. The University’s dedication to helping solve global energy challenges and its commitment to renewable energy make it the perfect partner for Power Roll whose disruptive technology aims to shape global clean energy solutions by way of a secure and deployable product. The two have worked together on many occasions in recent years developing the technology required to create a brighter future for the UK.

Professor David Lidzey, from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the paper, said: 

“Solar energy is a strategic priority for our research, and one of our key competencies is developing innovative techniques for fabricating and depositing solutions processable solar cells. We’ve partnered with Power Roll for over ten years, combining our expertise in materials science and advanced imaging techniques with their focus on manufacturing. Together, we’ve gained a deep understanding of how their solar cells work, identifying key areas for improvement.”

Although perovskite solar generation is still an emerging field, the ongoing research and academic focus is really speeding up the advance of product development and scientific understanding. 

The next step of the work for this project will be to further focus on developing the use of x-ray microscopy in characterising these materials. New experiments are scheduled for this summer at the Diamond Light Source to help researchers understand key facets of device operation, especially device stability. 

The paper concludes: 

“We believe this demonstration of flexible back-contact perovskite solar cell modules manufactured by fully scalable processes that only contain low-cost Earth-abundant materials represents a very promising step toward the commercialisation of this technology.”