High-Speed Robotic Manufacturing Breakthrough for Perovskite Solar Modules

Most solar cells today are made with refined silicon, but the process of refining silicon requires large amounts of energy from carbon-emitting power plants. Thin-film perovskites are low-cost, flexible solar cells that can be produced with minimal energy and virtually no carbon emissions. Significant challenges need to be addressed before they can become commonplace, one of which is their inherent instability, which makes manufacturing them at scale difficult. Now, researchers at Stanford University  have introduced an ultrafast way to produce stable perovskite cells and assemble them into solar modules that could power devices, buildings, and electricity grid. The researchers used a patented technology they recently invented called rapid-spray plasma processing. The robotic device manufactures perovskite solar cells at a rate of 40 feet per minute and uses two nozzles to make thin films of photovoltaic perovskite. The perovskite modules can be produced cheaper and four times faster than conventional silicon panels.