Ryazan scientists of the Russian State University named after Yesenin received a patent for a technology that can significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing solar panels.
According to Vadim Tregulov, associate professor of the university, the currently used anti-reflection coatings, for example, such as magnetron sputtering, are too expensive to apply. The department came up with a way to use thin films of porous silicon, produced by simpler chemical or electrochemical methods. Thanks to the use of this substance, the cost of solar cell production is reduced by an average of 30%, which will allow it to compete with the main manufacturers of solar cells from China.
“One of the most important reasons hindering the development of solar energy is the relatively high cost of solar panels. The staff of the department patented a method of using thin films of porous silicon simultaneously as an anti-reflection coating and a light-absorbing layer. The use of this particular substance, the application of which does not require the use of expensive equipment, makes it possible to reduce the cost of production by an average of 30% and compete with the main manufacturers of solar panels from China,” said the associate professor.
However, this solution has a significant drawback. The fact is that porous silicon is too unstable and quickly loses its original properties. As a result, the main further developments of scientists are aimed at finding a solution to this problem and ensuring the constancy of the properties of matter.
It is reported that the patented method can be used not only in the industrial production of solar cells, but also to create highly sensitive, high-speed optical sensors and detectors of terahertz radiation.
Source: 3dnews.ru