Page 34 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication
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34  Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation

    SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGIES

The StableNextSol COST Action Project:
Towards Stable Organic and Perovskite
Solar Cell Technologies

Flexible Organic Solar Cell by Heliatek (a StableNextSol partner).  The COST Action MP1307
                                                                                project ‘Unravelling
                                                                                degradation mechanisms
                                                                                of organic and perovskite
                                                                    solar cells by complimentary
                                                                    characterization techniques
                                                                    (StableNextSol)’ is a network of
                                                                    more than 470 leading European
                                                                    and international experts from more
                                                                    than 35 countries and 22 industries.
                                                                    The project aim is the realization of
                                                                    highly stable PV devices and modules
                                                                    through the study and understanding
                                                                    of the degradation mechanisms
                                                                    occurring in state-of-the-art PV devices.

                                                                    CONCEPT
                                                                    Organic and hybrid perovskite solar
                                                                    cells are among the top 10 emerging
                                                                    technologies of 2016. They are made
                                                                    of low cost and earth abundant
                                                                    materials which can be fabricated by
                                                                    inexpensive processes on large areas
                                                                    that can result in light weight, flexible,
                                                                    transparent and colourful solar cells
                                                                    and modules. With power conversion
                                                                    efficiencies that currently surpass 22 %,
                                                                    emerging photovoltaic technologies
                                                                    can significantly contribute to a
                                                                    clean electricity supply for the future.
                                                                    However, device stability is still a
                                                                    pending issue; it should at least
                                                                    match its commercially established
                                                                    competitor technology, silicon-based
                                                                    solar cells, at a guaranteed lifetime
                                                                    of more than 20 years. Thus, lifetime
                                                                    is one of the main hurdles for the
                                                                    successful and large-scale market
                                                                    introduction of these new promising
                                                                    photovoltaic technologies. The
                                                                    degradation mechanisms in these
                                                                    devices are hierarchical and complex,
                                                                    they can take place at variable
                                                                    locations in the device: in the light
                                                                    harvesting material, at the interfaces
                                                                    or at the contact electrodes. Thus,
                                                                    the in-depth understanding of their

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