MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO SOLAR PANELS
USING PEROVSKITE IN PLACE OF SILICON
Advantages
Will help lower the costs of solar panel production
Perovskite is made of ​a hybrid mixture of cheap organic and inorganic materials like iodine, lead, and methylammonium
​Less solar energy will be lost in the conversion process from solar energy to electricity
Energy loss for silicon solar cells: 50%​
Energy for perovskite solar cells: 30%​​
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Disadvantage
Perovskite has a significantly lower thermal stability in comparison to silicon
Research has been done to improve thermal stability​, but more experimentation is needed
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USING CARBON NANOTUBES IN PLACE OF SILICON
Advantages
Will help decrease the size of solar cells
- ​Carbon nanotubes → less than 100 nm!​
Lighter and more flexible in comparison to silicon solar cells
Will help lower costs of solar panel production
​Don't contain expensive electrodes made of indium tin oxide or silver used to make silicon solar cells
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Disadvantage
Carbon nanotube solar cells: 4-5% efficiency
Silicon solar cells: 15-17% efficiency