Qatar Claims New Perovskite Research Will Lead To Solar Energy Becoming More Economical
Recent research into the nature of perovskite solar cells (and the material itself) undertaken by the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and AMBER (an Irish research center) has led to findings that will lead to solar energy becoming far more economical, according to some of those involved.
The new research has provided some new insight into the functioning of the mineral with regard to solar energy — something that has long been something of a mystery to researchers. To be more specific, the research from QEERI and AMBER has revealed the way that the inorganic crystals inside the mineral alter in structure after being exposed to sunlight.
The researchers are now hoping that the findings — which are detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications — will provoke further interest in the commercialization of the technology.
Considering that Qatar is currently aiming to generate at least a fifth of its electricity via renewable energy by the year 2024, the new research findings are no doubt quite welcome.
Commenting on that, and other things, Dr Mohammed Khaleel, QEERI’s executive director, stated:
This country’s rapid population and economic growth has led to ever-increasing demands for electricity. Without steps to secure additional sustainable energy sources, and to reduce consumption, the economy and the environment will be adversely affected within the next few years.
For this reason we are continuing to focus our efforts on harnessing the power of the sun — Qatar’s most abundant natural resource — as we develop new energy solutions for this country and the region as part of our continued support of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
AMBER’s Professor Sanvito commented as well, noting:
Every hour, the sun releases on Earth as much energy as that used by the entire planet in one year. Harvesting such an enormous amount of energy in an efficient and cost-effective way would mean abundant green energy for the entire human race. Developing and improving our knowledge of solar energy harvesting is crucial. This is an exciting discovery.
Now that we understand how these new materials work, we can design new compounds to use for solar energy harvesting at cheaper costs than silicon solar cells.
Image Credit: NREL
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