In July 2018, Imec and EnergyVille announced the development of solar cells with a record efficiency of 27.1%. It’s possible that by press time, that record will be broken. Indeed, 30% efficiency is now within reach, according to Imec’s press release (Ref. 1). Imec researchers used perovskite in tandem with silicon solar cells to achieve the result.

As solar power gets more affordable and installations rise, so does the need for batteries that can store all that energy for 24-hour use. Now researchers report a new device that combines solar cells and batteries into one integrated device, a “solar flow battery.” If it could be made affordable, it could be an ideal way to bring electricity to people in remote, off-grid regions.

It is, of course, possible to just store electricity produced by solar panels in large batteries for electricity when the sun isn’t shining. But combining the two processes and using sunlight to directly charge a battery should in principle be a simpler, more efficient, compact, and cost-effective approach to utilize solar energy