SVNIT professor gets patent for low-cost solar cell

Surat: An associate professor at Sardar Patel National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Dr Jignasa Gohel, has received a patent for a hybrid, low-cost solar cell system.
The chemical engineering department faculty member worked extensively for a year alongside MTech student Nishant Rana to develop the technology.
The patent was granted for ‘Stable Hybrid Passivated Perovskite Solar Cells (PSC) and A Process to Fabricate Them'.
Currently, solar cells in panels use expensive materials such as silicon and silver. However, the materials used in the patented third-generation solar cell are low-cost, easily available and derived from waste materials.
Dr Gohel told TOI: "This is a significant breakthrough in solar cell technology. We developed a next-generation solar cell which is likely to reduce costs by 75% due to the use of organic and easily available materials. Some private companies have approached us as they are keen on reducing production costs."
Dr Gohel's has worked on optoelectronic devices and solar cells for over 12 years. Her team's research focused on developing organic solar cells using low-cost materials like hybrid perovskites — a class of material with a specific crystal structure — which are abundant and easily available. For instance, she used carbon waste from printer cartridges to make these low-cost cells. This approach led to a substantial reduction in costs.
With this low-cost, high-efficiency and eco-friendly design, solar cells have the potential to make a substantial impact on the adoption of solar energy worldwide, said Gohel.