By Jason Matthews

Swansea University has found a viable alternative to a banned solvent used to produce super-efficient green energy solar cells.

Cutting carbon

The world's climate is at a crisis point. In 2021, global CO2 levels are at their highest in 3 million years, 50% higher than before the industrial revolution.

Image Credit: aapsky - HDR tune by Universal-Sci

Technologies to remove carbon directly from the atmosphere are in development. However, a system of artificial carbon sinks that can have any measurable impact on CO2 levels is a long way off. Therefore, we must concentrate on reducing our carbon emissions any way we can, in the hope of slowing the progress of climate change as much as possible. Green energy is a great way to do this, and thanks to recent advances, solar farms are fast becoming a key player.

Solar cells have always had a flaw; they were not very efficient. A great deal of research has gone into improving the technology, and things have advanced rapidly in recent years. Printed carbon perovskite solar cells are the next generation of super-efficient solar cells.

Next-gen solar cells

Perovskite cells are among the most efficient ever created, cheap to build, and simple to manufacture. However, the solvents used during the manufacturing process to control perovskite crystallization are highly toxic, unsustainable, and banned in many places due to their psychoactive effects. This problem is holding back the large-scale manufacture of this otherwise very green alternative energy source.

A great deal of our green energy production will need to come from solar panels - Image Credit: RenataP via Shutterstock - HDR tune by Universal-Sci

Professor Trystan Watson, head of a research team at SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Swansea University, says he and his team have found a non-toxic solvent, 'Valerolactone', could replace the toxic solvents currently used.

Valerolactone is made from feedstock and is, therefore, a sustainable product. It is suitable for large-scale commercial use and is biodegradable. Watson believes that green technology needs to be 'green' in every way, from manufacture to implementation. He added, "Many problems need to be resolved before these technologies become a commercial reality. This solvent problem was a major barrier, not only restricting large-scale manufacture but holding back research in countries where the solvents are banned."

Research like this is essential if we stand any chance of undoing the damage caused by over a century of increasingly high carbon emissions and demonstrates the ingenuity and intent to do so.

Watson and his colleagues have published their findings in the science journal Energy Technology (listed below). Be sure to check it out if you are interested in a more detailed explanation of valerolactone and its potential use cases.

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