DoomsdaysCW<p>This sounds promising. But where are they going to get the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/perovskite" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>perovskite</span></a>? Mining? Synthetic forms? Also -- what happens to the material after its useful life? Landfills?</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Japan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Japan</span></a>'s new <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarPanel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SolarPanel</span></a> technology might forever alter the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/renewables" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>renewables</span></a> market</p><p>Story by Devika Rao<br>January 30, 2024</p><p>"Solar panels have traditionally been made with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/silicon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>silicon</span></a>, over which China has had majority market control. Eager to limit China's stranglehold over the solar market, countries have been searching for a different way to harness the sun. Now, Japanese engineers 'believe they have found one in a type of solar cell that looks and feels like camera film,' according to The Wall Street Journal. The new cell uses perovskite, a crystalline structure formed by minerals that convert sunlight into electricity. The perovskite cell was invented by Japanese scientist and Toin University of Yokohama professor Tsutomu Miyasaka. Iodine is the key element used to manufacture the solar film, of which Japan is the world's second largest producer. </p><p>"Research into using perovskite for solar power has been happening during the past decade, however, the structure was less efficient than the typical silicone panels and would degrade under humid conditions. 'Silicon solar cells are great because they are very efficient and can last for a very long time, but the high efficiency comes with a high cost,' Xiwen Gong, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan, who studies perovskite semiconductors, said in a statement. 'To make high-purity silicon, temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius are needed. Otherwise, the efficiency won't be as good.'</p><p>"To boost efficiency, perovskite was previously used in tandem cells inside glass-covered silicon panels. But now, technology has allowed silicon-free perovskite cells to match traditional silicon-panel efficiency. While humidity remains an issue, the perovskite panels have the potential to be more widely applied. The panels themselves are thin, light and flexible, unlike their silicon counterparts. 'Let's say you live in an apartment and don't have your own roof. You can still put the perovskite cells on your balcony,' Miyasaka told the Journal. 'Think of [them] as a household appliance.'" </p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/japan-s-new-solar-panel-technology-might-forever-alter-the-renewables-market/ar-BB1htAFL?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=8ea75fbf729f4c23afee62b4c2093156&ei=11" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">msn.com/en-us/money/companies/</span><span class="invisible">japan-s-new-solar-panel-technology-might-forever-alter-the-renewables-market/ar-BB1htAFL?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=8ea75fbf729f4c23afee62b4c2093156&ei=11</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewablesNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RenewablesNow</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RethinkNotRestart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RethinkNotRestart</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarPower" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SolarPower</span></a></p>