Andries Wantenaar, a solar analyst at Rethink Energy, explains why he sees a bright future for perovskite PV cells, with technological advancements and major R&D investment paving the way for revolutionary change. From pv magazine 10/23
In recent years, intense competition for the development of perovskite solar cells has been seen across the world. Japan is in the forefront in the technological development of this technology and also leads the world in developing larger-sized cells with improved durability, which is essential for manufacturing commercial products.
Accordingly, Japan will be able to build an independent supply chain for a stable supply, which is an advantage in terms of economic security. Despite the many advantages described above, a number of challenges remain before perovskite solar cells can become a competitive commercial technology.
Moreover, perovskites can be a potential material for the electrolytes to improve the stability of batteries. Additionally, with an aim towards a sustainable future, lead-free perovskites have also emerged as an important material for battery applications as seen above.
Rethink Energy expects perovskites will completely take over solar during the 2030s, regardless of whether the industry reaches 1 TW or 2 TW in scale. These expectations are supported by the commissioning of multiple production lines in the past 12 months, with many more in progress.
For instance, lightweight, flexible perovskite solar cells can be installed on building walls and factory roofs with a small tolerable load, which will increase the introduction of solar power generation. A certain level of progress has already been made in the development of such solar cells.