High-Performance Low-Cost Solar Array for UAVs

Solar cells for UAV and spaceborne applications must be light weight, cost effective and robust under high and low temperatures while providing high performance. GaAs solar cells can deliver many of the desirable characteristics for space applications with a conversion efficiency above 30% at a cost of 100-200 dollars per watt. In comparison, silicon solar cells can achieve conversion efficiency of 20-25% at a cost of 1-3 dollars per watt. For solar cell technologies to be effective, it is essential to explore technologies that can deliver high efficiency power conversion without significantly increasing the payload or price. Recent studies at the University of Tulsa demonstrated that the performance of medium-grade silicon cells can be enhanced by 66% after applying a thin film of Halide Perovskite layers. If the same performance improvement can be achieved with the highest-grade silicon cells, then these lower-cost cells would reach performance levels only previously attainable with GaAs, but at 100X lower cost. This technology breakthrough would reduce the cost of solar-based UAVs by more than 50%.