£2.2m grant to advance space-based solar research

The European Research Council (ERC) has approved a five-year study which will study the atomic-level structure of a new type of solar cell material. This aims to address issues including stability and lifespan of metal halide perovskite compounds, which decrease in high humidity, strong sunlight and at elevated temperatures.

While the properties of perovskite solar cells change in a range of atmospheric conditions, they remain ‘remarkably’ stable outside the Earth’s atmosphere, researchers said. This suggests potential for harvesting energy in space – a topical area of research, after the European Space Agency revealed it would be investigating whether satellites could beam electricity back to Earth earlier this year.

Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), an analytical chemistry technique that harnesses high magnetic fields and radiofrequencies targeted at atomic nuclei, scientists hope to discover what is causing this type of solar cell material to degrade at the atomic level.