Distinguished Lectures at HZB: Prof. T. Krauss will talk about Photovoltaics and Photonic nanostructures
Solar power has the highest potential among all renewable energy sources, it is clean and practically inexhaustible. Despite the already very high performance of silicon solar cells with 25% efficiency and low costs, a lot of research is yet required in order to realise the vision of a solar-powered society. Can we reduce module cost by integrating solar cells into buildings? Can we improve efficiency without increasing cost, by adding low-cost materials such as perovskites? What role can photonic nanostructures play to help control the flow of light?
One of the main problems of photovoltaics is that the sun does not shine much in winter or at night. Can nanophotonics contribute to the storage problem? Thomas Krauss will discuss these and related questions with the goal of informing future research into nanostructures for photovoltaics.
The D-lecture will open the European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar Energy – Current Trends and Future Challenges on 25th and 26th November.
Time and location:
We cordially invite you to the talk of Prof. Thomas Krauss, York University, UK.
Date: 25th November 2015 at 11 o’clock am.
Location: lecture hall of the Wilhelm-Conrad-Röntgen-Campus of HZB
After Prof. Krauss’ presentation we will have a lunch buffet and time for informal discussion in the BESSY foyer.
About the speaker:
TF Krauss is a full professor at the University of York, UK, where he leads the Photonics research group and the cleanroom facility in the York Nanocentre. He has published 280 refereed journal articles, with 12000 lifetime citations and an “h” factor of 59, as well as 5 patents. His expertise is in the design and fabrication of photonic crystals and photonic nanostructures where he has made pivotal contributions that turned photonic crystals from an academic curiosity into the ubiquitous concept in Photonics that they are today.
- Bright prospects for tin perovskite solar cellsPerovskite solar cells are widely regarded as the next generation photovoltaic technology. However, they are not yet stable enough in the long term for widespread commercial use. One reason for this is migrating ions, which cause degradation of the semiconducting material over time. A team from HZB and the University of Potsdam has now investigated the ion density in four different, widely used perovskite compounds and discovered significant differences. Tin perovskite semiconductors produced with an alternative solvent had a particular low ion density — only one tenth that of lead perovskite semiconductors. This suggests that tin-based perovskites could be used to make solar cells that are not only really environmentally friendly but also very stable.
- Joint Kyiv Energy and Climate Lab goes liveHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy established on 27 November a Joint Energy and Climate Lab.
- Long-term stability for perovskite solar cells: a big step forwardPerovskite solar cells are inexpensive to produce and generate a high amount of electric power per surface area. However, they are not yet stable enough, losing efficiency more rapidly than the silicon market standard. Now, an international team led by Prof. Dr. Antonio Abate has dramatically increased their stability by applying a novel coating to the interface between the surface of the perovskite and the top contact layer. This has even boosted efficiency to almost 27%, which represents the state-of-the-art. After 1,200 hours of continuous operation under standard illumination, no decrease in efficiency was observed. The study involved research teams from China, Italy, Switzerland and Germany and has been published in Nature Photonics.