Solar Cells Seem to Work Just As Well in Near Space in 'Air Mass Zero'

Chinese researchers have found that solar cells can retain most of their power conversion efficiency in near space, opening up the possibility of using them for applications in space.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are known for their potential of achieving higher efficiency and low production costs compared to traditional silicon solar cells.

A balloon with the cells attached rose to near space at an altitude of 35 km, a region above Earth's atmosphere where there is only a trace amount of moisture and ozone. The region, considered to have "air mass zero" contains no atmospheric attenuation of solar radiation. One type of PSCs used in the study retained more than 95 per cent of its initial power conversion efficiency during the test.