Case Western Reserve University, the top private university in the United States, recently received US$1.35 million in funding from the US Department of Energy to continue to improve the efficiency and longevity of PV modules, especially to extend component life to 50 years.
Researchers say that the current life of PV modules is 25 to 30 years, and extending the lifespan to 50 years is a new challenge for solar energy. Although this is a huge leap, it is achievable.
At present, the package of components is a double-glass structure, and the other is a glass/backplane structure. Each structure has its advantages and disadvantages. A researcher said that his current main research direction is the internal polymer of photovoltaic cells. Chemical degradation, especially double glass structure.
In 2009, the US Department of Energy launched a challenge called the SunShot Challenge to encourage researchers and developers to reduce photovoltaic power generation costs to 6 cents/KWh by 2020. The result was three years ahead of schedule. It was realized in 2017.
Case Western Reserve researchers also said that it is currently working to extend the life of photovoltaic cells and reduce the cost to 3 cents / KWh. Although we may not have the first SunShot challenge as soon as possible, but the ultimate goal Is to make photovoltaics the most efficient source of electricity.
