Taiwanese research team develops new-generation solar cells

A new type of solar cell made of a calcium, titanium and oxygen material called perovskite is the rising star of the photovoltaics world. A team from Taiwan’s National Central University has developed a new process for making these new-generation solar cells that is very cheap while preserving the high efficiency of the device. As soon as the lights go on, two miniature wind turbines connected to square white panels begin rotating quickly. Driving these small windmills is the black material inside the white panel – new-generation perovskite solar cells developed by a research team from National Central University. Chiang Chien-hungNCU Photovoltaic Center ResearcherThis is our newly developed, high-efficiency perovskite solar cell. It maintains a high voltage even under weak light. With these solar cells, a 100 square centimeter solar panel can absorb any light generated indoors. And its costs are only about 1 percent of the cost of widely used monocrystalline silicon solar cells but they are 80 percent as efficient. Wu Chun-gueyNCU Photovoltaic Center DirectorIt’s especially efficient in weak light, maybe the best in weak light of all existing solar cells. The National Central University team’s results were published in a prestigious international journal. Researchers in several other countries, including Japan and England are also studying these new solar cells.