MIT Scientists use the old acid car batteries to generate solar panels

A team of scientists from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has already been working for several years on a project that will help to solve two problems: scrapping acid batteries and cheaper production of solar cells.

MIT team has achieved success, managing to create a solar panel from used batteries, and the efficiency of such panels is about 19%, which is comparable to the average solar cells produced today. A new way of being followed about 18 months, and now researchers have published an article on the study, plus posted a video where detail the steps to create a photocell. At the same time as the main material that converts light into electricity, using perovskite (perovskite structure, rather than a natural mineral perovskite, according to this comment ).

By the way, the company Oxford Photovoltaics recently began searching for a method of creating solar panels from perovskite, a method that would be commercially viable. In these panels should be lead (a small percentage) and extract it quite difficult, "dirty" method.

Lead is very much in the waste acid automotive batteries that are recycled, but not in all countries (in the US is processed about 90% of the battery, and the rest is exported to Mexico). We must think global "stocks" of such batteries are huge. The key idea of ​​the article is precisely the use of batteries as a source of lead that scientists believe is cheaper and more environmentally friendly production of its standard procedures.

It is also important to note that the authors obtained lead iodide and lead dioxide and lead from frequent, that is used and the anode and cathode of the battery. Then it is purified and, using a centrifuge, is deposited on the FTO plate. With regard to the substrate on which the deposited crystals: it Fluorine doped Tin Oxide (FTO), tin oxide that is doped with fluorine. This "glass" is a good conductor of current. (For more information thank you Klukonin ).

And here are just perfect method proposed by MIT: we recycle batteries and produce cheap solar panels. Scientists have calculated that a battery will last for creating solar panels that will generate electricity for 30 households.

Here's what it looks like a laboratory production process (English.):



Via ieee

Source: habrahabr.ru/post/234099/