Bifacial perovskite solar cells with a transparent electrode offer high efficiency, durability, and infrared transparency, paving the way for major advancements in solar energy applications.
Bifacial perovskite solar cells, which capture sunlight from both sides, have shown great potential for enhancing solar energy efficiency. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have recently advanced their development by introducing a novel NiO/Ag/NiO (NAN) transparent electrode. This innovation improves efficiency, durability, and infrared transparency, offering promising applications in solar energy technology.
As detailed in the Journal of Photonics for Energy, a research team from IIT Dharwad designed and fabricated bifacial solar cells with high infrared transparency. They achieved this by integrating a hybrid top transparent electrode (TE) composed of a three-layer NiO/Ag/NiO structure. Using a low-energy physical vapor deposition technique, they developed an electrode with exceptionally low electrical resistance and high visible light transmittance, significantly enhancing the performance of these solar cells.
High Efficiency and Bifacial Performance
When integrated into the solar cell configuration, the NAN-TE demonstrated impressive power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of 9.05 and 6.54 percent when illuminated from different sides. A high bifaciality factor of 72 percent indicates the cell’s ability to effectively capture light from both directions.
Moreover, these bifacial solar cells exhibited remarkable durability, maintaining 80 percent of their initial efficiency for over 1000 hours without any protective encapsulation. They also allowed significant light transmission in the near-infrared region, making them suitable for thermal windows and optoelectronic applications.
The thin profile of the NAN-TE—less than 40 nm—further enhances its potential for integration into building materials and tandem solar cell applications. Senior author Dhriti Sundar Ghosh, associate professor of physics at IIT Dharwad, remarks, “This work may provide a design strategy for TEs that can be included in bifacial perovskite solar cells for use in tandem devices, agrivoltaics, and automotive technologies, among other potential uses.” This breakthrough highlights the immense potential of bifacial perovskite solar cells in advancing solar energy technology.
Reference: “Hybrid top transparent electrode for infrared-transparent bifacial perovskite solar cells” by Sonia Rani, Arun Kumar, Abhishek K. Chauhan and Dhriti Sundar Ghosh, 18 February 2025, Journal of Photonics for Energy.
DOI: 10.1117/1.JPE.15.015501
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