Solar panels, as we know that can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. Solar panels are fine for our environment, but they are fabricated with so boring looks.
But, Now Researchers have found a way for color the solar panels to make it look better. In a study published online this month in Nano Letters, scientists describe manufacturing of solar cells in several colors that still perform efficiently.
They use a layer of silicon dioxide, a common material to make glass
optical fibers, and titanium dioxide, which is mostly used to absorb harmful
ultraviolet rays in sunscreens, in short these are the requirements to fabricate a structure called
photonic crystal that can interact with light.
After that they placed a layer of the light-harvesting material i.e. perovskite, on top of the photonic crystal. The colors appear as a result of a
combination of light reflected by the photonic crystal and absorbed by
the perovskite.
They can be easily changed by varying the thickness of
individual silicon or titanium layers in the photonic crystal section.
One limittation is also there, that is the colored cells are less efficient than their black
counterparts, converting almost about 9% of the sunlight they receive
into electricity, versus 25% for traditional cells.
Still, the whole team hopes that the perovskite solar cells with highly desirable
properties for cladding in the built environment, and encourages design
of sustainable colourful buildings and iridescent electric vehicles as
future power generation sources.
Source: ACS Publications
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