1 reply to this topic

[eds]

Perovskite, is a mineral coating,
. . . that is applied directly to a typical solar cell,
. . . to boost its efficiency.

The thin crystalline films, are made by mixing,
. . . 2 readily available salts,
. . . without the need for costly high-temperature processing.
“They could cost,
. . . 1/2 of their silicon counterparts, In just
. . . 3 years, the efficiency has hit
. . . 21%, and rising, whereas conventional silicon took
. . . 30 years to get to that stage.
You can inkjet print it;
. . . you can spool off reels like newsprint, and
. . . 1/2 a cup of the ‘ink,’
. . . would make enough perovkite solar panels,
. . . to power a home.”

“Hybrid perovskites over the past 3 years,
. . . have become nearly as efficient as silicon.
You get solar cells that are so light,
. . . they can be suspended on a soap bubble.
Early commercial applications,
. . . are likely in 2017.

12-31-2016 Source: Perovskite: What is it?

Attached Files

•  Perovskite.jpg   16.47K   0 downloads

[still learning]

What is perovskite?

Putting on my geologist hat for a moment:  Perovskite itself is a particular calcium-titanium-oxygen containing mineral with a particular crystalline structure.  Not a common mineral.  Has had the name since 1839.  See  http://www.mindat.org/min-3166.html

The perovskite structure, that particular arrangement of atoms, does occur in other minerals.  See, for example, bridgmanite (probably the most abundant mineral in the Earth)   http://www.mindat.org/min-45900.html

A mineral is something that occurs in nature.  At least that's what I remember and Wikipedia agrees.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral

Some synthetic perovskite structured materials apparently do have promise as photovoltaic material.  See  https://en.wikipedia...kite_(structure)

Quoting from the Clean Technica article kinked to in the opening post: "Perovskite is a[url="http://solarlove.org...te-solar-panel/"%5D mineral coating%5B/url%5D that is applied directly to a typical solar cell..." Thing is, the perovskite structure photovoltaic coatings that I can google are definitely not naturally occurring materials.  So not a mineral coating.  Mineral-like, if you like, but not actually a mineral.  Literary licence?  Journalistic sloppiness, in my opinion.  

Perovskite?  A particular mineral.
A perovskite or perovskite structured or perovskite-like?  Lots of substances, some with promise in PV applications.