Tandem cells using perovskites and silicon make solar power more efficient and affordable

Plus: 🇨🇳 Elon Musk pledges Tesla to China’s “core socialist values” to avert EV price war ☀️ Research into “miracle material” perovskite in the past decade is now bearing fruit with more labs crossing 30 percent barrier for solar cells. Scientists evolved the technology using tandem cells. This week alone, two research groups published results showcasing energy conversion efficiencies of 32.5 percent and 31.25 percent, respectively. LONGi, the China-based manufacturer of solar cells, also reported an energy conversion efficiency of 33.5 percent last month. ♻️ This significant advance in technology is expected to make green energy more affordable in the near future. Learn more in today’s[Must Read article]( below. 🎬 But first, here’s your [video of the day]( . Good morning. I’m Shubhangi, an editorial assistant at IE. This is the Blueprint. Let’s dive into it. [premium] Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers learned about how low-power photovoltaic cells could replace disposable batteries. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+]( today to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. VIDEO OF THE DAY [AI in Therapy: Exploring Empathy Boundaries]( [AI in Therapy: Exploring Empathy Boundaries]( Can AI truly empathize? Follow Rich Tu's journey of using AI chatbots for therapy after the sudden loss of his father. MUST READ [Tandem cells make solar power more efficient]( [Tandem cells using perovskites and silicon make solar power more efficient and affordable]( Researchers working on solar panels worldwide now consistently breach 30 percent energy conversion mark, once considered [an important threshold]( for the technology. Countries like China are also co-adopting the technology with other renewable energy approaches, such as hydel power to tide over the intermittency issues. This significant advance in technology is expected to make green energy more affordable in the near future. Conventional solar panels have been built using silicon-based cells, with a theoretical maximum of 29 percent for their energy conversion efficiency. However, researchers have been experimenting with various materials to overcome this limit and have found some [success with perovskites](. Click below to read more about scientists' progress that could revolutionize clean energy impacting everyday life. [Read More]( TRANSPORTATION Elon Musk pledges Tesla to China’s 'core socialist values' to avert EV price war Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, along with 15 other automakers, including BYD (Tesla's biggest Chinese rival), signed the joint letter committing to the country's "core socialist values" at a motor conference in Shanghai on Thursday. The contents of the letter align with China’s ruling Communist Party and President Xi Jinping. The Chinese government constructed a joint letter targeting unfair fluctuating prices for the leading EV makers in the world’s largest car market. [Read More]( THE SPONSOR OF THE DAY [Can overlanders enjoy an RTT without any hassle?]( If you’ve ever considered buying a rooftop tent, chances are you’ve been advised against going for one by your fellow camper friends. While they can’t always be wrong, buying a rooftop camping tent depends on the type of camping you plan to embrace. [The Air Cruiser]( is a revolutionary product designed to ensure you get the perfect experience of camping on your overlander trips. Thanks to its space-saving design, it has also been hailed as one of the lightweight RTTs on the market at the moment. From SUVs, trailers, vans, pick-ups, and more, this rooftop tent can fit in easily without affecting your driving experience. [LEARN MORE]( SCIENCE SpaceX Starlink satellites have made 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers If current trends continue, Starlink satellites will have to make roughly a million maneuvers every six months by 2028. Since the first Starlink satellites were launched to low Earth orbit (LEO) in 2019, they have had to make 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers, a SpaceX filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reveals. [Read More]( CULTURE Powered by Instagram, Meta's Threads registers 30 million sign ups within a day of launch Threads to be the "Twitter killer" – it just can't look and feel like it, but has to offer much more. Less than 24 hours after its launch, Meta's new text-based app has completed more than 30 million sign-ups, posing a real threat to the dominance of Twitter. Twitter's survival has been under question since the day billionaire Elon Musk decided to take it private. [Read More]( [Webinar]( MAIL & MUSINGS Do you think Elon Musk's commitment to China's 'core socialist values' will profit Tesla? [I believe so]( [definitely shoot up]( [profits to dip]( [Tesla to fail miserably]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Half of those who have tried Threads app say it’s “great”, but 90 percent of you have not yet used it. Meta’s “Twitter killer” is still finding its feet. 90% I have not 5% I have, it's great 3% I have, it's so-so 2% I have, it's bad QUOTE OF THE DAY By the way, I am actually a socialist. Elon Musk, tweeting in 2018 THINGS WE LOVE [LABODI Exercise Bike]( [Fancy Buying Electric Charger]( [NexStar Telescope Telescope]( [Muzen Wild Mini Speaker]( AND ANOTHER THING - [In a rare find, huge granite mass discovered beneath Moon's far side]( - [Looming AI apocalypse? 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