Deploying Advanced Training for Saudi Arabia’s Workforce

ADVANCING THE FUTURE OF SOLAR CELLS

CUBIC PV

“Combining high performance with damp-heat stability brings the promise of PSC technology a major step closer to large-scale production reality.”

Frank van Mierlo, CEO of Cubic PV

KAUST study helps to bring a new generation of solar cells closer to commercialization

STEFAAN DE WOLF Associate Professor of Material Science and Engineering

TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, HIGH-EFFICIENCY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES NEED TO BE RAPIDLY DEPLOYED AT MULTI-TERAWATT SCALE. STABLE AND EFFICIENT THIN-FILM PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS CAN BE A TRUE GAME-CHANGER TOWARD THIS GOAL.

KAUST researchers have conducted a breakthrough test on an emerging type of solar power cell known as perovskite solar cells (PSCs), proving their stability and performance. The results are set to help increase the ef ciency of solar cells across a range of applications, from utility-scale plants to residential panels.

As global sustainability and clean energy mega-trends impact how we approach energy strategies, renewable technologies such as wind and solar are leading areas of research. In the solar technology space, silicon solar cells dominate the market. PSCs are an emerging technology that has gained popularity in the last decade and a half for offering high-power conversion ef ciencies. They are thin lm devices built with layers of materials, either printed or coated from liquid inks or vacuum-deposited. To be successfully commercialized, however, PSCs will need to meet stability and scalability requirements.

In a recently published Science paper titled “Damp heat–stable perovskite solar cells with tailoreddimensionality 2D/3D heterojunctions”, KAUST researchers reported a signi cant milestone reached through the rst-ever successful photovoltaic (PV) damp-heat test of PSCs. The damp-heat test is an accelerated and rigorous environmental aging test aimed at determining the ability of solar panels to withstand prolonged exposure to high humidity and elevated temperatures. The test is run for 1,000 hours under a controlled environment of 85% humidity and 85°C. It is meant to replicate multiple years of outdoor exposure, and evaluate factors such as corrosion and delamination. The harshness of the test is in line with commercialization requirements that state PV technology must cover 25 to 30 years of warranty for conventional crystalline-silicon modules. In order to pass the test, the solar cell has to maintain 95% of its initial performance.

Applied through a thin- lm coating process, perovskites are sensitive and highly affected by the presence of humidity. This vulnerability of 3D perovskite lms allows an unwanted in ltration of atmospheric agents, such as moisture, with limited resilience against heat. KAUST researchers found that engineering and introducing 2D perovskite passivation layers blocked moisture and simultaneously enhanced the power-conversion ef ciency and life of PSCs.

While the current solar market is rmly silicon-based, thin- lm PSC technology is set to enhance the existing PV industry. A PSC can be overlaid on a silicon cell to increase ef ciency without adding substantial cost. One of the signi cant advantages is that materials for PSCs can be made without the need for expensive facilities and energy-intensive environments, which is typical for more traditional semiconductors such as silicon. The KAUST Photovoltaics Lab is focusing on improving the performance of PSCs in order to advance this more ef cient tandem solution of pairing silicon cells and perovskites. In March 2022, KAUST and ACWA Power hosted a two-day innovation conference called Innovation Days, representing the latest initiative born of the partnership between the two institutions.

Innovation Days is a platform to support the development of technologies that can help solve local and global needs. It hosts leading business executives, innovators, researchers and academics from Saudi Arabia and around the world to showcase expertise in renewable energy, green hydrogen, arti cial intelligence and seawater desalination. Topics of discussion at this rst edition included the acceleration of green technologies through innovation, the role of technology in the energy transition, and the integration of renewables and hydrogen into the energy mix.

ACWA Power is a leading developer, investor and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants, and is well positioned, along with KAUST, to advance the latest developments in the eld of clean energy.

The conference builds on a close alliance between the two organizations. In 2019, KAUST and ACWA Power initiated a long-term research and innovation partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding inaugurating the KAUST-ACWA Power Center of Excellence for Desalination and Solar Power. One of the aims of the partnership is to place Saudi Arabia at the forefront of international scienti c advancements in water desalination and solar power technology. A focus is to apply industry-oriented research to produce desalinated water and solar power responsibly, ef ciently, reliably and at the lowest possible cost. The partners are currently collaborating on hydrogen electrolyzer technologies for green hydrogen production, and high-ef ciency bifacial photovoltaic panels.

KAUST President Tony Chan said, “KAUST and ACWA Power share a common goal to advance science and technology through bold and collaborative research and education, while addressing challenges of national, regional and global signi cance.” Paddy Padmanathan, Vice Chairman and CEO of ACWA Power, said, “As a company that is driving the energy transition globally, innovation lies at the heart of our growth and development strategy. We are constantly pursuing new solutions to address global power and water needs. It is imperative that we engage with the local innovation ecosystem to integrate researchers’ work into our facilities.”

ACCELERATING GREEN TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS & INNOVATION

KAUST and ACWA Power expand collaboration by hosting an innovation conference

DONAL BRADLEY Vice President for Research

ACWA POWER

WE WORK CLOSELY WITH PARTNERS IN THE KINGDOM, INCLUDING MINISTRIES, NEOM AND LEADING COMPANIES, AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO COUNT ORGANIZATIONS OF THE CALIBER OF ACWA POWER AMONG OUR EXCELLENT COLLABORATORS.

“With KAUST, we have built a close partnership that has already borne fruit via a dynamic research hub. We hope that the dialogue around Innovation Days inspires tangible solutions to realize a greener future.”