Solar panels made of perovskite and organic matter are able to work in space even without the sun

For solar panels, which are actively used to power spacecraft, a replacement is almost ready. So the tests carried out showed that the elements from perovskite and organic matter are able to generate electricity even without direct sunlight.

What are the advantages of perovskite and organics over silicon

As you know, perovskite and organic materials are already close in efficiency and in some parameters already surpass good old silicon, which for decades was the only source of energy for orbital devices.

But the most important selection criterion for spacecraft was the weight of the panel in relation to the generated electricity. But according to these characteristics, perovskite and organics have a clear advantage over silicon. There was only one question, how will solar panels from promising materials show themselves in an airless space.

Experiment progress

A unique experience of its kind was carried out by researchers from the Technical University of Munich.

Solar cells of two types of materials were sent in a short (the flight lasted only 7 minutes) suborbital flight on a special meteorological rocket, the main purpose of which is to study the upper atmosphere Earth.

So during the experiment, the solar cells and a whole complex of equipment for studying their behavior were raised to an altitude of 240 km.

This distance is enough for the Earth's atmosphere to stop exerting a protective effect on objects.

During the test, the tested elements showed the following results: the output was from 7 to 14 mW of power per square centimeter. External aggressive factors did not have any effect on the operation of the panels in an airless space.

In addition, a new phenomenon was identified. It turns out that the investigated elements continued to generate energy even while they were in the shadows. That is, the scattered light from the Earth's atmosphere was quite enough to continue generating the power of the rocket with solar elements on perovskite and organic matter (Benjamin Predeschly, Chair of Functional Materials, Technical University of Munich)

This amazing discovery encourages scientists and opens up prospects for the use of solar panels based on perovskite and organics in deep space and in distant orbits, that is, in those places where silicon panels simply cannot work.

Scientists shared all the results of their experiments on the pages of the Juole edition.

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