Solar panels: the future is in the Perovskites, but are they not toxic?

Photovoltaic cells in Perovskite represent a very promising solution to capture solar energy but they contain lead, a heavy metal, toxic to the environment and which can seriously affect health.Scientists from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) have now found a solution to remedy this drawback.

"The conversion of solar energy into electricity in photovoltaic cells in Pérovskite is now closer to the performance of the best silicon -based solar modules," said Professor László Forró Forma of the Faculty of Basic Sciences of the EPFL.“But their central element is lead, which is a poison.If the solar panel breaks down and deteriorates, lead can be leached in the ground, enter the food chain and cause serious health problems ”.

In most pearly halogenures, lead can dissolve in water.This solubility in water and other solvents actually represents a great advantage, because it makes the manufacture of solar panels in Pérovskite simpler and inexpensive - another asset in addition to their performance.But the solubility of lead in water can become a real danger to the environment and health when the panel breaks or is wet, for example in the event of rain.

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Lead must therefore be captured before it reaches the soil, and its recycling must be possible.This question is the subject of much in -depth research.For authorities and certification organizations, it constitutes an important obstacle when it comes to approving the large -scale manufacturing of photovoltaic cells in Perovskite.However, the attempts to synthesize of Pérovskites not soluble in water and unleaded have not given, so far, satisfactory results.

An ecological and effective solution

L’équipe de László Forró a trouvé une solution à la fois écologique et efficace. Elle consiste à utiliser un sel de phosphate transparent, qui ne bloque pas la lumière solaire et ne nuit donc pas aux performances des cellules. Si le panneau solaire tombe en panne, le sel de phosphate réagit immédiatement avec le plomb en produisant un composé insoluble dans l’eau qui ne peut pas être « lessivé » dans le sol et qui peut être recyclé. Ses travaux ont été publiés dans la revue scientifique ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

"This is an extremely important discovery - I would even say capital - for the large -scale marketing of photovoltaic cells in Perovskite," said Endre Horváth, one of the study authors.