Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced that it will allocate ¥24.6 billion (almost US$167 million) in subsidies over five years to three companies working to advance the mass production of perovskite solar cells.
This backing will go to Panasonic Holdings, Ricoh and EneCoat Technologies to support their technological innovations and pilot testing.
Panasonic is focusing on manufacturing glass-type perovskite solar cells that can be integrated into construction materials, while Ricoh and EneCoat are dedicated to developing thin and lightweight film-type products.
All three aim to increase their annual production capacity of perovskite solar cells to between 200 and 300 megawatts by 2030, enough to supply power for around 60,000 households.
Ricoh plans to use its inkjet printing technology to help adopt perovskite solar cells in homes and businesses, and EneCoat, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corp., is looking to implement its products in vehicles and factories.
The subsidies will be sourced from the Green Innovation Fund, which is designed to promote decarbonization technologies and has already supported Sekisui Chemical, another player in the film-type perovskite solar cell field.
The ministry has set a goal for Japan to achieve annual production of 20 gigawatts of electricity from perovskite solar cells by 2040.
