Moisture Tolerance Testing of Novel Perovskite Solar Cells

Rayleigh Solar Tech produces lightweight, flexible solar panels made with a revolutionary material called perovskite. Perovskite solar panels have the potential to cost half as much as traditional silicon panels, and even less in the long term. However, perovskite is vulnerable to water and needs to be encased in an expensive sheet of moisture-resistant plastic, called a barrier film, for protection. 

The cost of the barrier film is a major obstacle to the scaling and deployment of Rayleigh's solar panels. While cheaper barrier films exist, they are less moisture resistant and may lead to perovskite degradation. Therefore, before incorporating cheaper barrier film options, Rayleigh must first understand how much moisture their perovskite can accept before it degrades, a value known as moisture tolerance. Adopting a water diffusion model developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rayleigh will conduct testing to determine a moisture tolerance value for their unique perovskite recipe. With this value, Rayleigh will be able to use the water diffusion model to design alternative moisture barrier strategies which will meet their technical and economic needs.

This project represents a leap towards achieving perovskite's low-cost potential and will enable Rayleigh to deploy perovskite panels in the humid maritime climate of Nova Scotia.