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I heard this while driving the other day.
I wanted to check this out. Si melts at about 2,570°F (1,410°C). I'm not sure about 3000°F (1649°C), which incidentally is a temperature at which we have tested stainless steel in order to understand its mechanical behavior under a hypothetical accident. Above melting, one does not forge - one pours, or grows a crystal from a liquid pool. But I digress.
Of more interest - Princeton Engineering researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, marking a major milestone for an emerging class of renewable energy technology. The team projects their device can perform above industry standards for around 30 years, far more than the 20 years used as a threshold for viability for solar cells.
https://engineering.princeton.edu/news/2022/06/13/loo-30-year-perovskite-solar-cell
Paper - Accelerated aging of all-inorganic, interface-stabilized perovskite solar cells
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5679
Progress On Perovskite Solar Cells | Earth Wise with Randy Simon
https://earthwiseradio.org/podcast/progress-on-perovskite-solar-cells/Perovskites are semiconductors with a specific crystal structure. Their properties make them well suited for making solar cells. They can be manufactured at room temperature, using much less energy than it takes to make the silicon-based solar cells widely used today. As a result, perovskite solar panels would be cheaper and more sustainable to produce. Manufacturing silicon solar cells takes a lot of energy because silicon is forged at around 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, perovskites can be made flexible and transparent, making it possible to use them in ways unavailable with silicon solar technology.
But unlike silicon, perovskites are very fragile. The early solar cells made from perovskites in 2009 and 2012 lasted for only minutes. Lots of potential, but little practicality.
Recently, Princeton Engineering researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, which is a major breakthrough.
I wanted to check this out. Si melts at about 2,570°F (1,410°C). I'm not sure about 3000°F (1649°C), which incidentally is a temperature at which we have tested stainless steel in order to understand its mechanical behavior under a hypothetical accident. Above melting, one does not forge - one pours, or grows a crystal from a liquid pool. But I digress.
Of more interest - Princeton Engineering researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, marking a major milestone for an emerging class of renewable energy technology. The team projects their device can perform above industry standards for around 30 years, far more than the 20 years used as a threshold for viability for solar cells.
https://engineering.princeton.edu/news/2022/06/13/loo-30-year-perovskite-solar-cell
Paper - Accelerated aging of all-inorganic, interface-stabilized perovskite solar cells
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5679