Australian researchers advance solar cell efficiency and recycling

Australian researchers have achieved two significant breakthroughs in solar technology, focusing on manufacturing efficiency and waste recycling.

Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have developed a new method to reduce defects in next-generation solar cell materials. By ensuring ingredients remain evenly distributed during the furnace-based manufacturing process—a technique compared to the precision required in baking—the team has improved the material's ability to convert sunlight into electricity. This discovery provides a new design principle for advanced semiconductor materials.

Separately, researchers at the University of Newcastle have successfully scaled up a process to recover silver from end-of-life solar panels. Using a continuous pilot-scale flotation technique, the team achieved nearly 100 per cent silver recovery from retired panels. This mineral-processing method avoids the use of acids, making it potentially three to five times less expensive than conventional acid-leaching approaches and moving the industry closer to commercially viable solar panel recycling.