While silicon based solar cells are by far the most common technology, one relative newcomer, solar cells that use perovskite crystals, has been getting better by leaps and bounds.

At this rate, perovskite solar cells could become an attractive alternative to silicon in the near future.

Or the two types of solar cells could join forces to take solar power to new heights.

Perovskites are a class of materials that have a cube like and diamond like crystal structure.

So the first perovskites were discovered more than 180 years ago.

They were only applied to solar cells within the last two decades.

They work the same way other semiconductor based solar cells do.

Light from the sun excites electrons in the material and those electrons flow to conducting electrodes and generate a current.

In 2006, perovskite cells were about 3% efficient, fast forward to 2020 and some researchers were boasting 25% efficiency.

For comparison, the first silicon solar cells were created in a lab as far back as 1940.

In the 80 years since then, they've matured steadily to the point where they are now typically 15% to 20% efficient.

It's true that silicon cells are getting cheaper all the time, but they're still relatively expensive and difficult to make.

Perovskite cells, on the other hand, can be made with simpler manufacturing processes, like printing the crystals onto a surface, so they have the potential to be much cheaper.

Wait, it gets better.

Because perovskite are artificial, they can be designed to be most efficient at certain wavelengths, meaning they can work in tandem with silicon in a solar cell to generate electricity from light that silicon can't use.

These tandem solar cells are already a hair's breadth from 30% efficiency and still have room for improvement.

It's also possible to paint perovskite crystals onto a surface, meaning you could literally paint your house into a solar panel.

You know, provided your house's exterior is made of materials that can conduct the electricity the crystals generated.

Just, you know, that caveat.

Oh hey, look at that.

We are at the halfway point of the video, and everything I've said about the technology thus far has been glowing.

You know what that means, right?

There's a but coming, and here it is.

Perovskite solar cells have amazing potential, but they still face a few challenges before they'll be commercially viable.

One major challenge is degradation.

While silicon cells can last 25 years or more, perovskite aren't anywhere close to that.

Their performance drops off in the span of months rather than years.

The material is fragile and degrades when exposed to moisture, oxygen, high heat and... light.

A solar cell that breaks down when exposed to light is, shall we say, less than ideal.

It's also difficult to make large perovskite cells to maintain high efficiency.

Pinholes and impurities between the grains can hinder the flow of current, and these problems get worse over larger areas.

These defects also give humidity and oxygen a foothold to start breaking down the material, so, larger perovskite cells degrade faster.

And finally, there is the issue that a major component of the crystals themselves is lead.

Either the toxicity and environmental concerns of using lead will have to be addressed, or researchers will have to find an alternative.

Despite all that, it's still incredible just how far perovskite solar cells have come in such a short amount of time.

The next generation of solar cells that use perovskite and silicon in tandem could be hitting the market as soon as 2022.

In terms of efficiency, perovskites have caught and surpassed the most established solar power technology there is in the span of just 15 years.

New breakthroughs, inefficiency, lifespan and scalability are happening all the time.

If researchers can keep up that piece of innovation, the future of solar power looks very bright indeed.

To learn more about how exactly solar panels work, check out this illuminating light speed episode here.

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