Why perovskite solar cells are the next big thing

Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy available to us. Thanks to declining costs, solar panel installations worldwide have grown exponentially. In 2024, solar photovoltaic contributed 7% of the world’s electricity production in 2024 and 13% of the EU’s electricity production in 2025. Yet, solar production is confined to rooftops or standing solar farms.  But what if we could have solar panels on cars, facades, and lightweight roofs? Perovskite solar cells could unlock these possibilities, paving the way for more versatile solar energy solutions. 

Perovskite solar cells are an emerging technology that promises cheaper, lighter, and more versatile solar solutions than conventional solar panels. The term perovskite doesn’t refer to a specific material, but to a whole family of compounds. These materials have structural similarity to a homonymous mineral discovered in 1839 by the German scientist Gustav Rose, who named them after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. 

Yet, it wasn’t until 2009 that a group of Japanese researchers made the first perovskite solar cell. Years later, perovskite solar cells are emerging as a disruptive technology for harvesting the sun's energy. Let’s see what they can offer. 

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What are perovskite solar cells? 

Perovskite solar panels, however, are not made with the naturally occurring materials discovered by Perovski. Still, the materials used to make them are engineered to have a structure similar to that of perovskites. 

The basis of these new solar cells is the so-called metal-halide perovskites, usually made in the lab by mixing different materials. Usually, it works by combining an organic compound (such as methylammonium or formamidinium), a metal (such as tin or lead), and a halide (iodine or bromine). These are all widely available materials and differ from conventional modules in the way they harvest sunlight. 

In a perovskite solar cell, the active layer, an absorbing material, captures light and excites electrons. When these electrons are extracted, they generate electricity. Moreover, perovskites absorb well in the blue and green part of the light spectrum (higher energy), while silicon solar cells perform well in the red and infrared part of the spectrum (lower energy). This means that perovskites can harvest more of the sun’s light. 

What are the pros of perovskite solar cells? 

The novel solar cells come with some advantages over conventional silicon solar panels. 

• High efficiency potential. Some of the most promising perovskite PV concepts (single-junction ones) achieve efficiencies of 24-29%. Efficiency is the share of sunlight a solar cell can convert; for commercially available silicon solar panels, it ranges between 22-27%.
• Tandem compatibility. Perovskite absorber material can be paired with other solar materials. For instance, perovskite layers can be stacked atop a silicon absorber. Why is this a pro? Because a larger part of the light spectrum can be converted into electricity than either technology alone. By combining the performance of perovskites with that of silicon, solar cells can cover a wider range of the solar spectrum. Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells have achieved efficiencies of almost 34% in the most advanced laboratory concepts. Therefore, perovskite solar cells promise higher solar gains.
• In addition, by changing the color of light the perovskite layer absorbs — the so-called band gap — perovskites can be engineered to match other solar materials, enabling tandem solar cells and modules. 
• Low-cost production process. Perovskite PV cells are made using low-temperature processes, making manufacturing cheaper and easier. In principle, the active material can be dissolved in a liquid and coated onto a surface at temperatures ranging from 100 to 150°C — silicon crystals, by contrast, need to be heated to around 1,400°C, which requires more energy. In principle, perovskite manufacturing can be done in a similar way to how newspapers are printed — an approach that the Eindhoven-based Perovion Technologies is exploring. 
• Versatility. Perovskites can be made into lightweight, thin, and even semi-transparent films. As a result, they can be deployed on all surfaces where rigid solar panels would be impractical, such as windows, solar wraps, and roofs that cannot support conventional panels. 

What are the cons of perovskite solar cells? 

As technology advances, some drawbacks emerge. 

• Stability. Perovskite materials can be sensitive to heat, moisture, and ultraviolet light, causing degradation over time. Therefore, this sensitivity poses a threat to their durability. Commercially available solar panels have proven to last 25-30 years, with performance guaranteed to decline reliably; given the relative novelty of perovskite PV, long-term field data are still being collected. Although advanced encapsulation methods have proven to extend the lab lifetime of these solar cells, we are still far away from the standards that silicon panels guarantee — and the market requires. 
• Lead toxicity. The most efficient perovskite formulations contain lead. The use of this substance, toxic to humans, is regulated in the EU under the Regulation of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. Solar panels have an exemption for the amount of lead they can contain, yet toxicity raises uncertainty about future regulatory frameworks. However, lead-free perovskite PV concepts have demonstrated lower efficiency. 
• Not a market-ready technology. Although the current energy crisis prompts us to seek as many alternative electricity-generating methods as possible, perovskite solar panels won’t be an immediate solution. Although some have already reached the market, the technology is far from a solid option. Many developments are still happening in the labs. 

Where does the technology stand now? 

Perovskite solar technologies are making strides towards better efficiency. At the moment, the commercially available cells can guarantee anywhere from 24 to 29% efficiency. The figure grows for tandem solar cells, with certified efficiencies passing 35%. 

As is often the case with green technologies, China is way ahead of its competitors, with some of its companies producing perovskite solar modules at scale. For instance, in June 2025, GCL Optoelectronics opened the first gigawatt-scale perovskite PV factory. The firm had previously achieved 19% efficiency for its purely perovskite modules and over 29% efficiency for tandem cells.  

UtmoLight, also Chinese, also opened a 1 GW production line in February 2025. Unlike other competitors, it offers a 25-year power output guarantee. Moreover, its modules have already been deployed across solar commercial projects in China. 

Western counterparts are yet to achieve those levels. The British Oxford PV is one of the most relevant players in the perovskite solar space. The spinoff of the University of Oxford was the first to ship commercial tandem solar modules. Grounded in over a decade of research, the company’s current modules can deliver 25% efficiency, aiming for 30% by 2030. 

China has the upper hand, while European producers are still in the early stages. For Europe, the question is not only about the technology’s validity, but also about establishing a competitive industry. Opportunities exist, but the Old Continent has to seize them. 

Solar power everywhere? 

Perovskite solar panels are gradually reaching the market as efficiency records are broken and new, cost-competitive manufacturing processes emerge. Still, many hurdles remain: stability, toxicity, and production upscaling. If those boxes are ticked, perovskite could do to solar energy what LEDs did to lighting — making it cheaper, lighter, and available in places we never imagined.