SEESSs—which can simultaneously harvest and store solar energy—are considered a promising next-generation renewable energy supply system. However, the practical application of current SEESSs is severely restricted by their limited ability to both store and deliver high power density.

A collaboration between the Wang, Shapter and Rowan Research Groups at the AIBN has resulted in the development of a new class of portable and highly efficient SEESS that uniquely integrates a perovskite solar module (PSM) and an aluminium-ion battery (AIB) directly on a bifunctional aluminum electrode without any external circuit. The results of this collaboration were published in Advanced Energy Materials. For more details on the project, take a look at the case study.