Panasonic and YKK AP have announced the launch of verification testing in Osaka, in which they will be field testing building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems using glass-type perovskite solar cells, which are under development.
The setup uses Panasonic’s glass-based perovskite cells inside YKK AP’s inner-window frames in the YF Tanimachi Building, where YKK AP (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) is headquartered, and the goal is to measure real power output, check installation practicality, and evaluate long‑term durability and safety in an actual office.
According to reports, the active perovskite layer is inkjet‑printed on glass and encapsulated between panes, so the result is “power‑generating glass” with conventional strength that can still be transparent or semi‑transparent. This approach exploits perovskite’s thin, solution‑processed nature to adjust size, transparency, and patterns in ways that are hard for silicon, making it suitable for inner windows where optical comfort and appearance still matter.
Modules in this line have already reached about 18% efficiency at around 800 cm², which is competitive for something designed as a building material rather than a pure PV panel. The Osaka trial is less about record numbers and more about whether such lab‑level devices behave acceptably under daily thermal cycling, partial shading, and building use, and how much energy can realistically be harvested from interior positions behind existing outer glass.
YKK AP is treating this as one piece of a broader BIPV push that includes inner‑window and curtain‑wall products, so the outcome will feed directly into product decisions rather than staying as a one‑off demo.
