In research paper reported in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, researchers said that the technology has been developd based on emerging solar cell technology that uses a compound called perovskite.
The perovskite comprises lead whose production from raw ores can produce toxic residues.
Instead of using perovskite, lead from old car batteries can be recycled for solar panels in order to prevent the residues and divert toxic material from landfills.
MIT Energy W.M. Keck Professor Belcher said: "It went from initial demonstrations to good efficiency in less than two years."
"Once the battery technology evolves, over 200 million lead-acid batteries will potentially be retired in the United States, and that could cause a lot of environmental issues.
The perovskite solar cell technology needs a thin film just half a micrometer thick of the photovoltaic material. However, analysis shows that the lead from a single car battery can be used to develop enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households.
Since the perovskite photovoltaic material takes the form of a thin film just half a micrometer thick, the team’s analysis shows that the lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households.
"It has the advantage of being a low-temperature process, and the number of steps is reduced."
