Monash University Building Integrated PV Study

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The Monash University Building Integrated PV Study project will focus on the development of high efficiency, semi-transparent perovskite photovoltaics (PV) for use as building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) windows.Key resultsThe objective of this project was to demonstrate that perovskites, a rapidly emerging class of photoabsorber material, can be incorporated into semi-transparent solar cells at a scale, efficiency and lifetime that make them suitable for building integrated applications.The application chosen for this project was a building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – semi-transparent solar cells integrated into a framing system – essentially a tinted window that can generate electricity with the light that it absorbs. To date, there has not been a solar cell technology that combines suitable levels of efficiency and light transmission at an adequate price point to allow for broad adoption.This project demonstrated, at laboratory scale, that a perovskite-based solar cell could meet the electricity generating and aesthetic (namely average visible transmittance (AVT) and colour) requirements for such a product.This project achieved world-record efficiencies across a range of AVTs, and considerably improved upon the lifetime of comparable devices made to date. The project also used desktop modelling to better understand the potential of this technology across a number of human-inhabited environments. The study showed that the wide deployment of conventional rooftop solar coupled with building integrated. (i.e. wall and window mounted) PV can produce the majority of electricity produced by a city.

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