August 2025

Oxford PV’s perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells are getting their time in the sun at this year’s Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, powering four innovative teams—including the University of Michigan Solar Car Team, Top Dutch Solar Racing, JU Solar Team 25, and Team Sonnenwagen Aachen—on their 3,000 km journey across Australia. 

A highlight comes from the University of Michigan’s Millennium solar car, currently holding 5th place in the Challenger Class. The Millennium features a custom deck built by Mito Solar with Oxford PV’s high-performance perovskite tandem solar cells. The deck is further enhanced with Mito Solar’s advanced SkylAR anti-reflective coating, boosting light absorption even at steep angles, protecting cell integrity, and keeping the structure lightweight—an ideal combination for racing efficiency.

Concentrating on critical bottlenecks in 1.68 eV wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs), specifically open-circuit voltage (VOC) losses and phase segregation caused by high defect density and low halide migration activation energy, a team of Zhejiang Normal University researchers has reported a synergistic modification strategy using aromatic ammonium salt isomers p-F-PEABr (linear ethylamine) and s-p-F-MBABr (branched α-methylbenzylamine), which share the molecular formula C₈H₁₁FBrN but differ in molecular configuration. 

Utilizing a thermally stable MA-free FA₀.₈Cs₀.₂Pb(I₀.₈Br₀.₂)₃ as absorber, the team demonstrated that the mixture of s-p-F-MBABr and p-F-PEABr achieves optimal photovoltaic performance enhancement in WBG PSCs.

Chinese solar PV manufacturer JA Solar has announced that its self-developed 210 mm half-cell commercial-sized perovskite/crystalline silicon tandem solar cell has achieved a new efficiency record of 31.27%. The forward scan photoelectric conversion efficiency reached 30.54%, while the reverse scan hit 31.27%, both certified by the Fujian Institute of Metrology.

JA Solar stated that this achievement is a critical step in the industrialization of perovskite/Si tandem technology, laying a solid foundation for future commercialization.

Anhui Huasun New Energy Technology has announced two achievements in the field of crystalline silicon heterojunction/perovskite tandem solar cells: the efficiency of small-sized (1cm²) lab cells has successfully reached 34.02%, while the efficiency of production-line large-sized (210HP) cells has achieved 29.01%.

These milestones not only demonstrate Huasun’s continuous innovation capabilities in the heterojunction perovskite tandem field but also highlight its push towards commercialization and mass production of this technology. 

LOCAL-HEAT is a European Research Council-funded project running from September 2022 to August 2027, with a total funding of €1,500,000. It aims to gain insight into and control the local heating and crystallization processes that occur during the thin-film formation of perovskite materials. Its goal is to make perovskite solar cells both more efficient and more stable. 

“Our broader vision is to help bring perovskite technology from the laboratory to large-scale, real-world applications, making clean energy more accessible and affordable worldwide,” explains lead researcher Michael Saliba, director of the Institute for Photovoltaics at the University of Stuttgart (with a dual affiliation at Research Centre Juelich), which is coordinating the project.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are reaching impressive power conversion efficiencies, but long-term durability remains a major barrier to real-world impact. In a recent Perspective article, NREL researchers highlight why current stress tests (light, heat, humidity, etc.) are insufficient: they don’t accurately predict how PSCs will perform under field conditions. 

A more realistic path forward is a durability learning cycle, where lab and field testing continuously inform each other. The NREL team is recommending investigating the durability of perovskite solar modules - starting by placing them outside.

Researchers from University College London (UCL), National Chung Hsing University, Queen Mary University of London, University of Washington and London South Bank University have found that guanidinium thiocyanate (GASCN), a chaotropic agent, can slow and control the way perovskite crystals form during fabrication, creating smoother and more uniform layers. This helps reduce defects in the material that can hinder performance and shorten a solar cell’s lifespan.

The team focused on mixed tin-lead perovskites – typically the bottom layer of stacked cells in a tandem architecture. The scientists reported on the use of GASCN as a chaotropic agent to improve the film quality and device performance of mixed Sn–Pb perovskites. The use of the guanidinium additive gives researchers greater control over crystal growth, limiting the imperfections that occur when the material forms too quickly.

The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Flexell Space have announced that they signed a technology transfer agreement for ultra-light flexible CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenium) solar cell process technology and know-how for implementing next-generation space-use double-junction (tandem) solar cells (CIGS/perovskite dual-junction solar cells).

Flexell Space, a space solar cell company, will receive the ultra-light and flexible CIGS solar cell technology from Korea Institute of Energy Research and jointly develop ultra-light thin-film dual-junction solar cells optimized for the lifespan and performance of small satellites, and pursue market development to replace existing III-V-based space solar cells. The total project funding is 5.5 billion won (almost US$4 million).

First Graphene has reported the addition of graphene to perovskite solar cells (PSC) can improve efficiency by 30% and reduce production costs by up to 80%.

The company has partnered with Halocell Energy and Queensland University of Technology to develop graphene-enhanced PSCs through the addition of its PureGRAPH novel functionalized graphene. A three-year AU$2.03 million grant under the federal government’s Co-operative Research Centers Projects (CRC-P) program is funding the research and development agreement, which commenced in 2023.

Microquanta has announced that its 19.37 cm² mini perovskite module has achieved a full-area efficiency of 23%, certified by the Japan Electrical Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories (JET). The company states this has surpassed its previous record of 21.8% set in 2022.

Also, the Company successfully completed the shipment of perovskite α2 modules for a 5 MW perovskite research and demonstration project developed by China Three Gorges Group in Golmud, Qinghai Province. Microquanta supplied over 50,000 modules for the project, which is expected to generate an average of 8.604 million kWh annually once connected to the grid.