For decades, scientists have been aiming to create the perfect design of solar panel for the benefit of us all here on Earth. Now research suggests that these supercharged panels may also be a boon much further from home.
In a new study, a team of German scientists strapped four different perovskite and organic solar cells to a rocket and shot it up into a low-Earth orbit (LOE) to see how solar panels perform in non-terrestrial conditions. The flight lasted only seven minutes, but the researchers were able to gather a number of promising indications as to how these panels would adapt to the change.
These panels showed no real dip in functionality and even demonstrated the ability to work better in low light conditions than their heavier, inorganic counterparts. Researchers believe that these possibilities could make them ahead of candidates for the future of deep space travel.
These findings were published in the journal on Wednesday Joule.
In the paper, the research team explains that the history of space flight and senses experimenting with solar cells is, at best, lacking. The year 1959 saw the launch of the first solar-powered solar system, Explorer 6; in more recent decades, tests on solar panels in space have been done with stratospheric balloons to float above the Earth’s stratosphere. This is not exactly the same as realizing actual orbital heights.
As a result, it is difficult for scientists to extrapolate how some of the current research can be applied to deep space missions. To get a little closer to this reality, this research team shifts its solar cells around 149 miles in the air.
How it works – The rocket with a selection of four ultra-thin solar cells hung from Sweden in June 2019 for a fast seven minute spin around the LOE block. The solar cells on board (or, rather, mounted outside the payload) were a mix of perovskite and organic solar cells.
The authors write that these cells were so thin and light (2.2 lbs each) that they could generate enough power. 300 standard lamp.
“This is ten times more than what modern technology offers,” said the study’s lead author Lennart Reb, a researcher at the Technical University of Munich.
But, while these solar panels may be impressive on Earth, seeing as they retained their effectiveness in space was the name of the game.
After a successful launch and landing, in which the solar cells resulted in surviving physical stress, the team analyzed some promising data from the adventures of the solar panels. In addition to maintaining its efficiency in the LOE environment, the team also found that the panels were capable of operating in low light environments, where the only light source light was scattered from the Earth.
The authors write that this finding not only shows performance outside of current technology, but also suggests potential for deep space missions in the future that may have low light conditions.
“This is a good hint and confirms that technology can go into so-called deep space missions, where you send them far away into space, far away from the sun, where standard solar cells would not work. , “says the study’s senior author and researcher at the Technical University of Munich, Peter Müller-Buschbaum.
Although not proven by this particular research study, previous research has also shown that space (which is inherently much drier than Earth) may actually be good for perovskite solar cells, which often have problems with environmental degradation on Earth.
What comes next – While these solar cells show a lot of promise when it comes to sending deep space missions in a light and inexpensive way, there are many other factors that you need to consider before these cells can sleep on the next star probe. First, the authors say that tests of longer durability will be necessary to see how well these panels can withstand a long-term flight (as these deep space missions would be.) Unfortunately, seven minutes does not cut it completely.
Another thing that future research should consider are the effects of the outer space environment (i.e. solar and cosmic particle radiation, ultra-high vacuum pressure, and enormous temperature differences.) With more commercial space launching all the time, hopefully, this data may be collected in the not so distant future.
Abstract: Perovskite and organic solar cells have a revolutionary potential for space applications. The garden film solar cells can be processed on thin polymeric films that enable an exceptional specific force, which is to be obtained with electrical power per mass, superior to their inorganic counterparts. However, research into space applications has so far been limited to terrestrial conditions. Here we report the launch of perovskite and organic solar cells from various architectures on a suborbital rocket flight. This is a situational demonstration of their functionality and power generation under space conditions. We measure solar power exciting characteristics of solar cells in variable lighting states due to different rocket orientations during flight. Under strong solar irradiance, the solar cells perform efficiently, and they even produce power with weak diffused light that is reflected from the earth’s surface. These results highlight both the suitability for near-Earth applications and the potential for deep-space missions for these innovative technologies.
