ARENA to provide funding for CSIRO’s Perovskite cell R&D project

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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced that it will provide up to $892,000 for the development of guidelines for assessing the performance of CSIRO’s Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology in Australia.

Image credit: arena.gov.au
Photovoltaic Outdoor Research Facility – CSIRO, Newcastle

Perovskite – a calcium titanium oxide mineral composed of calcium titanate – is set to make solar cells cheaper, more efficient and more adaptable.

The new guidelines will be applied by CSIRO at the ARENA supported PV Performance Laboratory in Newcastle – the first and only in the Southern Hemisphere that is internationally accredited to measure solar PV cell performance – while the test results will be validated by internationally accredited labs.

“If perovskite solar cell technology matures to commercialisation, it has the potential to provide cheaper power from the sun. Perovskite can be turned into solar PV cells with a less cost and labour intensive process than required with silicon,” ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said.

“The international standards for measuring solar PV cell performance were established at a time when only silicon wafer cells were available. CSIRO is now aiming to establish new methods and guidelines applicable to cells using perovskite materials. A standard approach to measuring the performance of new solar cell technologies will provide a level playing field for researchers and ensure that funding support is directed at the materials and fabrication processes with the greatest potential for success.”

The three year $2.4 million project is due for completion in November 2018.