arXiv subjects

Ruy S. Bonilla

Publications and source records attributed to Ruy S. Bonilla.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Circularity in Perovskite-Based Tandem Photovoltaics for Terawatt-Scale Deployment

As photovoltaics (PVs) scale from one to multiple terawatts over the next decade, ensuring sustainable deployment is urgently required. Crystalline silicon (c-Si) PVs, the current industry standard, will generate an estimated 160 million tonnes of waste by 2050, and there remains complex technoeconomic challenges associated with their recycling. Metal-halide perovskite (MHP)-based tandem PVs not only promise higher power conversion efficiencies than single-junction c-Si devices, but also offer intrinsic advantages for circularity, including simpler device architectures, low-temperature processing, and more accessible materials recovery routes. At this pivotal juncture when perovskite PVs begin to enter the market, this review examines the critical circularity challenges that must be addressed: substitution of scarce raw materials, scalable recycling protocols, cost-effective stack delamination, safe lead sequestration, and policy frameworks to encourage circularity across the device lifecycle with effective incentives. By integrating the materials, technoeconomic and policy dimensions that go beyond conventional lifecycle assessments, we outline actionable strategies to co-optimize device performance and sustainability. This review aims to guide researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders in steering perovskite-based tandem PVs towards a circular and responsible commercialization pathway within the global clean-energy transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Roadmap on Photovoltaic Absorber Materials for Sustainable Energy Conversion

Photovoltaics (PVs) are a critical technology for curbing growing levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting increases in future demand for low-carbon electricity. In order to fulfil ambitions for net-zero carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 eq) emissions worldwide, the global cumulative capacity of solar PVs must increase by an order of magnitude from 0.9 TWp in 2021 to 8.5 TWp by 2050 according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, which is considered to be a highly conservative estimate. In 2020, the Henry Royce Institute brought together the UK PV community to discuss the critical technological and infrastructure challenges that need to be overcome to address the vast challenges in accelerating PV deployment. Herein, we examine the key developments in the global community, especially the progress made in the field since this earlier roadmap, bringing together experts primarily from the UK across the breadth of the photovoltaics community. The focus is both on the challenges in improving the efficiency, stability and levelized cost of electricity of current technologies for utility-scale PVs, as well as the fundamental questions in novel technologies that can have a significant impact on emerging markets, such as indoor PVs, space PVs, and agrivoltaics. We discuss challenges in advanced metrology and computational tools, as well as the growing synergies between PVs and solar fuels, and offer a perspective on the environmental sustainability of the PV industry. Through this roadmap, we emphasize promising pathways forward in both the short- and long-term, and for communities working on technologies across a range of maturity levels to learn from each other.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Broadly-tunable smart glazing using an ultra-thin phase-change material

For many applications, a method for controlling the optical properties of a solid-state film over a broad wavelength range is highly desirable and could have significant commercial impact. One such application is smart glazing technology where it is necessary to harvest near-infrared solar radiation in the winter and reflect it in the summer--an impossibility for materials with fixed thermal and optical properties. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a smart window which uses a thin-film coating containing GeTe, a bi-stable, chalcogenide-based phase-change material which can modulate near-infrared absorption while maintaining neutral-colouration and constant transmission of light at visible wavelengths. We additionally demonstrate controlled down-conversion of absorbed near-infrared energy to far-infrared radiation which can be used to heat a building's interior and show that these thin-films also serve as low-emissivity coatings, reducing heat transfer between a building and its external environment throughout the year. Finally, we demonstrate fast, sub-millisecond switching using transparent electrical heaters integrated on glass substrates. These combined properties result in a smart window that is efficient, affordable, and aesthetically pleasing--three aspects which are crucial for successful adoption of green technology.

physics.app-ph↗