South Wales Materials Association (SWMA)

Swansea University Engineering Central B003

Join us as we welcome back Dr Declan Hughes, PhD, CSci, MInstP, Senior Manufacturing Research Engineer, AMRC Cymru (South Wales) for a highly anticipated talk, sign up here. forms.gle/ccp1FDe3HbrTDV3W9 High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) represent a demanding application for photovoltaic technologies, requiring high specific power, sustained energy generation, and resilience to environmental exposure. Metal-halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted considerable interest in aerospace applications because of their potential for lightweight architectures and high power-to-mass ratios. However, translating device-level performance into meaningful aircraft-level benefits requires consideration of both photovoltaic characteristics and operational constraints. This presentation explores the potential of perovskite photovoltaics for HAPS applications through a combination of aircraft-level flight simulation and experimental radiation testing. Using a Zephyr-class platform as the basis for the simulations, the influence of photovoltaic technology, specific power and array mass on energy generation, battery requirements and sustainable flight altitude is examined. Perovskite-based configurations are compared with established multijunction III–V photovoltaic technologies to investigate how differences in cell and array characteristics influence overall flight performance. Alongside the modelling, experimental radiation testing investigates the response of perovskite solar cells to aerospace-relevant exposure, focusing on changes in photovoltaic performance and the implications for potential deployment. Bringing these two perspectives together provides an opportunity to consider how device-level performance and environmental resilience influence the feasibility of perovskite-based energy systems for long-endurance high-altitude flight. The presentation will highlight the opportunities and limitations of perovskite photovoltaics in this application, demonstrating the importance of evaluating emerging materials beyond their initial conversion efficiency. It will also discuss the remaining challenges in connecting laboratory characterisation with system-level predictions.  

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