Research institute unveils bifacial perovskite solar panel with 11.9% efficiency

Here’s a news item about scientists in Belgium announcing the development of bifacial perovskite solar panel being introduced.

Hold on.

What is a perovskite solar panel? And what are bifacial solar panels?

We will answer the latter one first. Solar panels – until recently – had solar cells arranged only on one side of the panel with the backside covered with protective materials. Recently, prominent solar panel makers started producing solar panels that had cells on both sides – and this meant that the solar panel can generate electricity from both light falling on top of the panel as well as from light reflected from the ground and hitting its backside! More electricity – sometimes up to 15% higher – from the same solar panel.

And what are perovskite solar panels? A perovskite solar panel is made of solar cell that does not comprise a silicon based material but instead has a materials such as lead or tin halide-based material as the light-harvesting active layer. Compared to silicon, Perovskite materials are cheap to produce and simple to manufacture to make solar cells. While the efficiencies of perovskite solar cells have increased significantly in the past few years, they still face challenges in terms of durability as of 2023.