Announcement - International Summer School on Photovoltaics (Quantsol)
The International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion takes place from 9th to 16th September 2012 in Hirschegg, Kleinwalsertal, Austria. Young postdocs, PhD students, and master students can apply by 10th June 2012.Details of the school’s program can be found on the website.
The Quantsol Summer School - established as a "must " for prospective solar scientists - is held for the 5th time. The school primarily addresses young postdocs, PhD students, and students in their final year at university with a strong interest in photovoltaics. During the 7-day program you get a comprehensive introduction to relevant topics in photovoltaics. Various Experts from leading international research institutes and universitys explain wide range of topics on the fundamental principles of the conversion of solar energy into chemical to the implementation of photovoltaics. Technical applications, material aspects and special analytic methods will be discussed additionally.
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.
- New contact material boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cellsA newly developed material for the electron contact improves the efficiency of single perovskite solar cells and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The new material is based on a carborane molecule. It offers several advantages over the standard material C60, as shown by the study led by Steve Albrecht’s team. The new material has since been patented and is already commercially available.
- Precision interface chemistry pushes perovskite solar cells beyond 26% efficiencyAn international research collaboration has developed a new molecular strategy for controlling one of the most critical interfaces in perovskite solar cells. The resulting solar cells reached a power conversion efficiency of 26.19% in the n i p architecture, together with strong operational stability under prolonged illumination and elevated temperature. The results have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.