FLEXIBLE LIGHTWEIGHT MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS AND MODULES WITH ENHANCED PERFORMANCE FOR EFFICIENT LIGHT HARVESTING IN OUTER SPACE

The exponential growth of satellite launches and, in general, of in-orbit activities calls for technological breakthroughs in cost-effective solar energy harvesting technologies for Space deployment.JUMP INTO SPACE envisions a high-efficient, lightweight and flexible, stable and sustainable alternative to currently available photovoltaic systems for in-space energy harvesting, via an unexplored synergetic coupling of groundbreaking concepts.All-perovskite tandem solar cells, based on advanced contact materials and finely tuned perovskite absorbers, will be developed to ensure high efficiency (30% at AM0 targeted here, but capable of overcoming the single-junction ShockleyQueisser limit).

The devices will be endowed with a pioneering, lightweight and flexible, multi-purpose photonic substrate, designed and optimized to embody the dual function of environment shielding and light management boost, while being remarkably stable against high-energy radiation and atomic oxygen erosion.

The optimized all-perovskite tandem solar cells will be manufactured on the multi-purpose photonic substrates and thoroughly tested to deliver unprecedentedly high specific power and prove their stability for Space operation in low-orbit conditions.JUMP INTO SPACE all-perovskite tandem cells on innovative multi-purpose photonic flexible substrates will be game-changers for the next generation of Space Solar Power, e.g. allowing lightweight stowing in rollable platforms, for powering novel propulsion apparatus for in-space mobility and a wide range of spacecrafts and applications e.g. systems for active debris removal, micro- and cube-sats.

They could also be deployed in Space-Based Solar Power plants and, through novel, properly designed transmission technologies, power various in-space applications, such as Moon or Mars human bases, or even provide Earth with continuous energy from space.