Researchers at Tokyo City University in Japan have reportedly achieved a new world record power conversion efficiency for a tandem solar cell that combines a perovskite top cell with a copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) bottom cell. The two-terminal device has an active area of 1 cm² and reached a certified efficiency of 25.14%, with the result independently confirmed by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

This surpasses the previous record of 24.6% for a perovskite-CIGS tandem, which was set by Germany’s Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in February 2025, after which groups worldwide had been trying to push the technology beyond the 25% threshold. The Japanese team notes that, until now, this 25% mark had remained out of reach despite intensive international research efforts.

Researchers from Nankai University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, University of Copenhagen, Hebei University, King Saud University and ULVAC-PHI Instruments Co. have reported a new strategy to overcome a long-standing efficiency bottleneck in conventional n-i-p perovskite solar cells, achieving a certified steady-state power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 27.17%.

Despite the robustness and scalability of the n-i-p architecture, its steady-state efficiency has remained stalled at around 26%, trailing behind competing device designs. The researchers attribute this limitation to non-radiative recombination losses at the buried interface between the textured electron transport layer (ETL) and the perovskite absorber.

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) has announced an initiative to commercialize perovskite solar cells, aiming to move the technology beyond laboratory-scale performance and into large-area mass production.

GIST launched its “Strategic Research Group for the World’s First Commercialization of Perovskite Solar Cells,” marking the start of a coordinated effort to industrialize next-generation photovoltaic technology. The initiative is designed to establish a comprehensive research and development framework spanning materials, device engineering, module fabrication, process optimization, and real-world demonstration.

A Chinese company called Aolian Solar has reportedly completed its first perovskite PV power generation test project. Aolian Solar is a subsidiary of automotive electronics and electrical components manufacturer Nanjing Aolian AE&EA Co., Ltd. (ALAE).

Image Credit: Aolian Solar, Taiyangnews

The 15 kW project spans more than 1,200 m² and integrates crystalline silicon, perovskite, and cadmium telluride PV technologies. The facility uses 5G-based intelligent monitoring systems to track generation performance under multiple operating scenarios. The company said the project will be used to compare generation data across different PV technologies and evaluate their suitability for various applications.

Researchers from China, Korea and Russia have reported a molecular-level strategy to stabilize formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI₃) perovskite solar cells, achieving a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 27.6% while addressing one of the field’s most persistent challenges: phase instability.

FAPbI₃ is widely regarded as a leading perovskite absorber due to its optimal bandgap, but its performance is fundamentally limited by the instability of its ionic-covalent Pb-I octahedral framework. Under operational conditions - particularly elevated temperature and humidity - the desirable photoactive α-phase tends to transform into a non-perovskite hexagonal δ-phase. This transition is driven by structural disorder and entropy increase associated with the [PbI₆]⁴⁻ octahedra. To address this, the researchers introduced an entropy-regulating molecular-lock strategy using 1-pyridin-3-ylmethyl-piperazine hydrochloride (3-PMPCl). The additive is incorporated both within the bulk and at the surface of the perovskite layer, where it forms strong interactions with the lattice. These interactions effectively restrict the rotational freedom of the organic cations and suppress entropy-driven disorder and expansion of the Pb-I octahedra.

Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, a Japanese packaging and materials company, has reached an agreement with Perovion Technologies (a spin-out company of TNO) and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (“TNO”) to establish a strategic technological and business partnership that aims to create a global market for perovskite flexible photovoltaic panel.

Perovion will be responsible for commercializing the perovskite solar cell manufacturing technology developed by TNO. Toyo Seikan Group Holdings and its technology development partner TNO have been advancing the mass customization of integrated photovoltaic systems in Europe since 2025. These systems are centered on MiraNeo®, the Toyo Seikan Group Holdings brand of functional materials for electronic devices. Through the new three-way partnership, Toyo Seikan Group Holdings will further accelerate its business expansion in the perovskite solar panels field.

Researchers from China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Optics Valley Laboratory, Taizhou University, Nanjing Tech University (NanjingTech), Southern University of Science and Technology, Henan Normal University, Shandong University and the UK's University of Oxford have developed a robust interconnecting layer strategy for all-perovskite tandem solar cells that addresses key stability bottlenecks associated with conventional designs.

All-perovskite tandems have already surpassed 30% power conversion efficiency (PCE) in double-junction configurations, but long-term operational stability, especially under heat and light, remains a major limitation. A central issue lies in the interconnecting layers, which must simultaneously provide high transparency, efficient charge recombination, and chemical robustness. Standard architectures typically rely on a stack of C60/SnOx/ultrathin Au/PEDOT:PSS. However, PEDOT:PSS introduces parasitic absorption and chemical instability due to its acidic and hygroscopic nature, triggering degradation pathways such as iodine formation and Sn(II) oxidation in tin-lead (Sn-Pb) perovskites. At the same time, the inclusion of ~1 nm Au leads to optical losses via plasmonic absorption and can diffuse into the absorber at temperatures around 65°C, further compromising device stability.

University of Perugia researchers have developed a colored passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) approach based on lead-free perovskite nanocrystals, addressing one of the key limitations of conventional radiative coolers: their typically white or mirror-like appearance.

PDRC systems rely on a dual optical function - high solar reflectivity and strong thermal emission in the mid-infrared (MIR) - to passively dissipate heat to the cold outer space sink (approximately 3-4 K) through atmospheric transparency windows. In practice, this requires minimizing solar absorption (typically in the 
0.25-2.5μm range) while maximizing emissivity in the 3-5μm and 8-13μm bands. However, achieving visible coloration generally introduces additional solar absorption, which increases heat gain and degrades cooling performance.

Perovskite manufacturer Renshine Solar is developing what it describes as the ‘world’s largest’ perovskite building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) rooftop project.

Renshine Solar’s BIPV rooftop project at the former Shanghai Boiler Factory workshop

The installation will use around 6,000 perovskite modules across a 4,000 m² rooftop at the former Shanghai Boiler Factory workshop. The company said its lightweight and flexible modules can be customized in color and size to meet architectural design requirements for BIPV applications.

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