A team of scientists from the University of New South Wales are working towards a process that could make solar technology more efficient.
The researchers are working on singlet fission, a process where a single particle of light can be split into two packets of energy. This process doubles the electrical output when applied to solar technology.
The new technology could push the limits of silicon solar panels. Currently, these panels convert about 27 per cent of sunlight into electricity, with a theoretical ceiling of about 29.4 per cent.
Singlet fission could push past this barrier. The theoretical limit for solar panels using singlet fission is around 45 per cent efficiency.
Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes, project lead and head of UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering, said: ““Introducing singlet fission into a silicon solar panel will increase its efficiency.
“It enables a molecular layer to supply additional current to the panel.”
The UNSW team used a compound called DPND, or dipyrrolonaphthyridinedione, a stable material that is compatible with silicon and is also suitable for scalable production methods.
The research is part of a broader national effort to make solar power cheaper and more powerful.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency selected UNSW’s singlet fission project in 2023 for its Ultra Low Cost Solar program, which aims to deliver panels capable of more than 30 per cent efficiency at less than 30 cents per watt by 2030.
Dr Ben Carwithen, a postdoctoral researcher at UNSW’s School of Chemistry, expects a small-scale concept for the singlet fission project could be ready within years.
“There could be a big breakthrough next week and everything clicks,” Carwithen said.
“But a more realistic timeline is five years.”