What’s the Difference Between Silicon Solar Panels and Emerging Solar-Cell Tech?

Another example is the organic solar cell (OSC). Organic solar cells use a combination of organic materials within a single layer to absorb light, converting this into extractable current. Like perovskites, OSCs use a wide range of materials to optimize performance. After a period of stagnation, OSCs have made significant strides, achieving an efficiency of 19.2% in recent years.

Other types of third-generation photovoltaics include quantum-dot solar cells and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Quantum-dot solar cells use nanoscale semiconductor particles to absorb light in a thin film. DSSCs, meanwhile, rely on a dye to absorb sunlight, providing a low-cost and semi-transparent solution for solar energy.

A major advantage of these emerging technologies is their compatibility with roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing processes, such as ink-jet printing, slot-die coating, or spray coating. The ability to print or coat photovoltaic layers onto flexible substrates in continuous R2R production enables large-scale production with less waste. Lowering manufacturing costs will increase the opportunities for adoption in commercial settings.

Unlike silicon-based solar panels, which require energy-intensive, high-temperature processing steps, some third-generation PVs can be solution-processed at lower temperatures. However, more sensitive materials may require controlled environments, like a glove box to prevent degradation during fabrication.

Another key benefit of third-generation photovoltaics is that due to their variable composition, they’re able to be optimized to absorb light more efficiently than silicon. This means thin layers of these materials can still achieve highly efficient energy conversion. Therefore, these technologies can be used in applications where traditional silicon panels would be unsuitable, for example:

• Semi-transparent photovoltaics for windows
• Flexible solar panels for curved or irregular surfaces
• Indoor photovoltaics that can operate under artificial light

These innovations open up a wide range of possibilities for solar-energy integration in spaces and applications that were previously limited by the rigidity and thickness of c-Si panels.

Silicon PV vs. Third-Generation PV

For an emerging solar-panel technology to compete with silicon, it must be as good as or better than silicon. Namely, it must:

• Offer comparable or superior efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity.
• Demonstrate long-term stability, maintaining at least 90% of its performance over a 10- to 25-year lifespan.

Currently, no third-generation PV technology can address both of these points.

Most third generation PVs have significant stability issues that need to be overcome before they are to compete with c-Si panels. OPVs, DSSCs, quantum dots and PSCs demonstrate degradation due to external factors such as moisture, oxygen, UV light and heat, preventing them from being a viable competitor for silicon. DSSCs and quantum dot solar cells also suffer from low efficiency compared to silicon. 

Perovskite solar cells have the additional issue of toxicity, as they use lead as a main component. Current research is ongoing to find replacements for lead, but these devices are significantly lower efficiency.

However, with significant research and proper encapsulation techniques, there’s definitely space for both c-Si and third-generation technology in the solar landscape.

Can Third-Generation PV Improve Current Solar Panels?

Another exciting quality about third-generation PV technologies is that they can be used in tandem with one another or combined with silicon in tandem solar panels to further enhance efficiency (Fig. 4). By stacking PSCs on top of silicon solar cells, the resulting tandem solar panel can capture a broader range of the solar spectrum, boosting overall efficiency.