Low-cost perovskite materials for decentralized energy generation and Department of Defense environmental impact reduction

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) remain one of the most discussed and researched materials in the world due to their promising materials characteristics and performance metrics. PSCs possess qualities that find applications in civilian and military sectors. PSCs have been demonstrated to have power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of over 24%, 30% reduction in deposition costs, direct band gap with tunability ranging from 1.1-1.8 eV, and the ability for synthesis at room temperature. This correspondence seeks to shed light on the current Department of Defense (DoD) efforts in PSCs, as well as demonstrate reduction in cost, environmental impact, and CO2 footprint. Successes in stabilization of the materials and challenges to be overcome for perovskites are discussed. This work shows the possibility of integrating perovskite materials with existing mature solar panel technologies for successful marketization of perovskites and diversification of applications. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the opportunities that are presented by perovskite materials to the DoD community and unique challenges that are overcome with the application of this technology.