Qcells has announced it has achieved successful stress test validation for its tandem modules, according to both IEC and UL certification standards. These tests also complied with tandem-specific requirements for power measurements, it was reported. The standard-compliant execution of the stress tests and measurements has been independently confirmed by TÜV Rheinland. 

By successfully passing the most critical stress tests for solar cell reliability, especially considering tandem-specific restrictions on power measurement, Qcells has demonstrated that tandem technology can now meet the performance benchmarks that set the groundwork for commercial acceptance.

Researchers from Cornell University, Duke University and Brookhaven National Laboratory have designed a two-dimensional (2D) perovskite that can be layered on top of a 3D perovskite to act as a rugged, weather-resistant coating. By finding the atomic equivalent of a perfect handshake between two types of perovskites, the researchers were able to build solar cells that are not only high-performing, but exceptionally durable.

Other researchers have attempted this protective 2D perovskite coating using methylammonium (MA) as a cage cation. However, MA is so unstable it starts to vaporize upon exposure to sunlight. “With MA, you have good efficiency and charge transport, but the solar cell degrades rapidly in a few hundred hours of continuous operation, ” said lead author Shripathi Ramakrishnan, a doctoral candidate in the lab of senior author Qiuming Yu, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell Engineering.

The University of Queensland (UQ) and Halocell Energy have announced they will be working together to advance tin-based perovskite solar panels.

UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) researcher Dr. Peng Chen has secured almost $200,000 through the latest Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite funding round to accelerate the commercial production of tin-based perovskite solar panels. Dr. Chen and his team - including UQ’s Professor Lianzhou Wang and AIBN’s Dr Dongxu He – have replaced the lead with tin, recently setting a world-record efficiency for lead-free perovskite solar cells. Now, Halocell Energy and UQ have decided to take the project to the next phase and scale up for real world use in lead-free solar panels.

Researchers from China's Westlake University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University have explained that while record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are usually achieved using organic spiro-OMeTAD, conventional doping with hygroscopic dopants (LiTFSI and tBP) leads to compromised device stability. 

Image of spiro-OMeTAD solutions with various dopants alongside filtered 5D spiro-OMeTAD solutions. Image from: Nature Communications

In their recent work, the team introduced a synergistic mixed doping strategy that utilizes a combination of metal-TFSI dopants—LiTFSI, KTFSI, NaTFSI, Ca(TFSI)₂, and Mg(TFSI)₂—to enhance doping efficiency while effectively removing hygroscopic contaminants from the Spiro-OMeTAD solution. This approach enables PCEs exceeding 25% and significantly improved stability under harsh environmental conditions.

Researchers from Soochow University and Yangzhou University have developed a single photodiode sensor that detects full-color light using perovskite materials, impedance data, and machine learning algorithms.

While conventional photodetectors are able to measure how much light is present, they typically can't identify what kind of light it is. Extracting color or spectral information usually requires added hardware—filters, lens stacks, or multiple detectors arranged side by side or layered vertically. These systems tend to be bulky, expensive, and hard to scale, particularly when designing small, low-power devices. Even more recent strategies, like using heat or voltage to modulate a detector’s response, introduce other trade-offs, such as slower operation and higher instability.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a contactless method for measuring the performance of back-contact solar cells in the production line. 

Measuring the current-voltage characteristic curve is the most important test in solar cell quality control. Eliminating physical contact with the solar cell saves time and thus allows significantly higher throughput rates in production. It also eliminates mechanical stress on the solar cells during measurement and reduces the maintenance costs of the measuring system. The researchers tested the method for the first time in 2022 and have now successfully transferred it to IBC (interdigitated back contact) cell architectures in a production-related environment.

Eternal Sun, developer of solar simulators for photovoltaic testing, has announced that Bolster Investment Partners has acquired an 80% majority stake in the company. 

The strategic partnership is set to accelerate Eternal Sun’s international expansion, product development, and professionalization. This milestone follows sustained growth and innovation in solar testing technology, including next-gen tandem and perovskite applications. Bolster brings not just capital, but also strategic support to realize Eternal Sun’s long-term ambitions in a rapidly evolving solar market.

Identifying lead leakage and stability as major challenges for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), researchers from Chongqing University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have developed a polymerization method to achieve highly stable and environmentally friendly high-performance PSCs. 

Device structure diagram of the PSCs and corresponding cross-sectional SEM image. Image from: Science Advances
 

Through the addition of the small organic molecule N,N′-bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BAC) to the perovskite precursor solution, the terminal alkenes of BAC enable the construction of polymer BAC (PBAC) at the perovskite grain boundaries (GBs) during the annealing process of the perovskite films. PBAC not only overcomes the limitations of organic small molecules but also interacts with perovskites through its numerous functional groups and multiple reactive sites. This interaction effectively passivates deep-level defects, suppressing nonradiative carrier recombination.

Today we have released a new edition of the Perovskites for the Solar Industry market report. This report, over 190 pages long, is a comprehensive guide to next-generation perovskite-based solutions for the solar industry that enable efficient, low cost, lightweight and unique solar solutions. This major new edition includes over 20 new companies and over 50 updates. The perovskite industry is moving fast towards commercialization and our report is a must-read for anyone that wishes to become an expert on this emerging industry and market.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• The perovskite solar industry and market
• The advantages and challenges of perovskite PVs
• Perovskite PV developers and supply chain companies
• What the future holds for the perovskite market and industry

The report also provides:

• Market segmentation by technology, geography, applications and more
• The latest efficiency records (by PV type)
• Details on perovskite collaborative research projects
• A market snapshot and forecast
• Free updates for a year

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on halide perovskites are considered attractive thanks to their high output performance as micro-nano energy sources. However, the presence of toxic lead and environmental instability hamper their practical applications in wearable electronics. 

To address these challenges, researchers from Shandong University and Henan University have developed a lead-free bismuth halide perovskite, CsBi₃I₁₀ (CBI), integrated with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in a nanofiber composite film via a one-step electrospinning deposition process, serving as an alternative triboelectric layer for TENGs.