New quantum material promises more than 190% efficiency of solar panels

A team of researchers has developed a quantum material that could boost the efficiency of solar panelsa discovery that will allow the manufacture of a new generation of plates with which to meet global energy needs.

The finding has been developed by researchers at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania (United States), and the details have been published this Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

“This work represents a significant leap forward in our understanding and development of sustainable energy solutions, with innovative approaches that could redefine the efficiency and accessibility of solar energy in the near future.”says Chinedu Ekuma, a physicist at Lehigh University and co-author of the study.

Exceeds the theoretical limit of efficiency

The prototype, which uses the new material as an active layer in a solar cell, achieves an average photovoltaic absorption of 80% and an unprecedented external quantum efficiency (EQE) or ability to convert sunlight into electricity: up to 190%, thus far exceeding the theoretical limit of Shockley-Queisser efficiency for silicon-based materials.

This index established in 1961 set at a 33.7% the ability to convert solar energy into electrical energy. Over the years, silicon panels have approached this limit, which has finally been surpassed by other materials, such as quantum materials, which are driving photovoltaics to new heights.

The material’s leap in efficiency is largely attributed to its characteristics “intermediate band states”specific energy levels that are located within the electronic structure of the material and that are ideal for the conversion of solar energy.

Additionally, the material performs especially well with high absorption levels in the infrared and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

In traditional solar cells, the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) is 100%which represents that for each photon absorbed from light, an electron is generated and captured.

But some advanced materials developed in recent years have managed to generate and collect more than one electron from high-energy photons, which represents an EQE greater than 100%.

They allow you to capture the energy that is lost

Although these Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG) materials have not yet been widely commercialized, they have the potential to greatly increase the efficiency of solar energy systems.

In the material developed by Lehigh, the intermediate band states allow the capture of photon energy that is lost in traditional solar cells, including through reflection and heat production.

Ekuma, an expert in computational condensed matter physics, developed the prototype as a proof of concept after a computer model demonstrated its theoretical potential.

For this researcher, the great efficiency of the new quantum material makes it a “promising candidate for the development of next-generation, high-efficiency solar cells, which will play a crucial role in addressing global energy needs.”

And although integrating the newly designed quantum material into current solar energy systems will require more research, Ekuma maintains that the experimental technique used to create these materials is already very advanced.

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