New solar cell tech developed at IIT-Bombay a gamechanger: Union minister
In a major boost to works happening in solar energy sector at IIT-B, Joshi announced disbursement of fourth instalment of total funding of Rs 200 crore that was assured more than a decade ago to the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research & Education (NCPRE) — the umbrella body for various research projects in renewable energy sector at the institute.
In the current phase of funding, which is expected to bring Rs.83 crore, it will be through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model as government is urging industry players to invest in scaling up the project, particularly the high-efficiency 2-terminal tandem solar cell using a perovskite-silicon combination, achieving about 30 per cent power conversion efficiency, which is significantly higher than the current 20 per cent.
Talking about this innovation at the IIT Bombay, the Union minister who visited the NCPRE at IIT-B, said, 'It is a game-changer for India's solar energy future. This makes India a global leader in next-gen photovoltaics and by investing in such innovations, we are driving down the cost of solar energy, making it more accessible for all Indians.'
Assuring continuous support from MNRE, Joshi emphasised the need of scaling up of this technology for commercial success.
'Private investment is crucial for large-scale technology development and some of the industry representatives present for the meeting today have shown great interest,' said Joshi.
Prof Dinesh Kabra head of the team which has successfully engineered a semi-transparent perovskite solar cell (PSC) said that funding in this phase will be for scaling up of this technology at commercial wafer-size.
Further it will be catalysing the support for the future pilot line through which commercialisation will be made possible.
'After having formed the 4-terminal (4T) tandem structure, with this renewed funding the team will now work on developing a 2-terminal tandem structure with support from the manufacturing partner,' he said.
The Indian Express had reported about the major breakthrough in the Solar Energy Sector at the IIT Bombay.
The semi-transparent perovskite solar cell (PSC) which is layered over a traditional silicon-based solar cell, forming a 4-terminal (4T) tandem structure enables a better energy conversion and durability, especially in India's heat-intensive conditions. Apart from boost in efficiency over conventional solar technology, it has potential to reduce the cost of solar power at around Re 1 per kwh compared with Rs 2.5-4 per unit now.
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