A perovskite crystal's structure lets it absorb sunlight and release mobile electrons almost as effectively as silicon, using far cheaper manufacturing.
hv + lattice -> e(-) + h(+)
J_sc ~ absorption * extraction
- Incident photons — sunlight photons striking the perovskite absorber layer per unit time.
- Lattice sites — crystal sites capable of absorbing a photon and generating an electron-hole pair.
- Absorption efficiency — the perovskite's tunable bandgap match to the solar spectrum.
- Charge extraction rate — how efficiently generated electrons are swept to the electrode before recombining.
Perovskite solar cells have jumped from 3% to over 25% lab efficiency in under 15 years, the fastest efficiency climb of any photovoltaic material in history.