Perovskite Photovoltaics Leaving Silicon In The Dust

May 30, 2025

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I have been writing about perovskite dating back to 2013, when I described it as a cheap material that could replace silicon in photovoltaics. Research then at the University of New South Wales in Australia described its electrolytic potential and its malleability to shape it thinly to almost any surface, something not possible with silicon.

Today, perovskite solar cells are proving themselves, providing high power conversion efficiency while costing less. In a decade, perovskite photovoltaics have risen in conversion efficiency from 4 to 25%, with the promise of going much higher.

The concern about perovskite’s stability was its susceptibility to environmental factors such as wind, rain, and ultraviolet light. New perovskite photovoltaics, however, are demonstrating that this barrier to entry is falling, with cells exhibiting resilience in outdoor settings lasting for 10 years. Silicon panels still can outlast perovskite with typical lifetimes between 20 and 25 years, but the latter is rapidly closing the gap.

Maia Benstead, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, writes about several pilot and small commercial-scale perovskite solar projects currently underway, which illustrate progress with perovskite. IDTechEx recently released a report entitled, Perovskite Photovoltaic Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Players & Trends. It provides a critical analysis of the emerging technology, along with an assessment of the material trends that are helping to drive its commercial uptake.

The report provides benchmarking of key perovskite photovoltaic technologies, including single-junction perovskite, perovskite/silicon tandem, and all-perovskite tandem solar, alongside an assessment of over 20 market players.

It predicts significant growth of the perovskite photovoltaic market, with annual revenue to reach nearly US$ 12 billion by 2035.

Why is perovskite not already wiping silicon’s floor? The above describes the factors that cause current perovskite panels to degrade. New manufacturing methods are overcoming these extrinsic and intrinsic challenges. (Image credit: IDTechEx)

Solar panels get maximum exposure to the elements. They bake in the heat of the Sun. Strong light, humidity, rain, hail, snow and wind are other conditions they have to endure and last. No one wants to be going up on roofs and replacing photovoltaic panels every few years. The industry sticks with silicon to date largely because it meets the durability threshold.

So, what are the perovskite solar cell challenges? Intrinsic degradation comes from material defects and ion migration. Extrinsic degradation happens because of environmental factors. Both types of degradation severely impact the electronic and optical properties of the cells, altering their chemistry and causing structural changes to the perovskite film.

So what are researchers doing? They are enhancing the engineering of perovskite solar cells, altering the chemical composition to increase ion migration resistance, enhancing crystal stability, and reducing defect density. The modifications are improving the material stability while not degrading the conversion efficiency of the cells.

Glass-glass encapsulation silicon solar panel production is being adapted for use with rigid hybrid perovskite/silicon cells. Tandem PV, a solar cell manufacturer, has demonstrated the equivalent of decades of projected durability in its labs. Oxford PV has reported that its tandem solar panels are surpassing key conversion efficiency and reliability milestones.

Thin-film perovskite is flexible for use in LED devices. Polymer encapsulation materials like ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) are used with silicon cell-powered small LED devices and sensors. It is cheap and provides good optical transmittance. EVA, however, is not suitable for thin-film perovskite because it releases acetic acid over time, which degrades the material. Additionally, EVA thin films have water vapour transmission rates too high for perovskite solar cells.

To overcome these challenges, alternative polymers such as polyisobutylene and butyl rubber are being studied, as well as thin-film encapsulants that use aluminum oxide, tin oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride. These materials have been well tested in manufacturing LEDs and can support scalable manufacturing of perovskite photovoltaics.

For homeowners wanting to put in rooftop solar, the typical return on investment comes between 8 and 12 years. That’s why solar panels that can last up to 25 years become attractive. Perovskite’s ten-year performance limit, therefore, needs to be overcome. That’s where companies like Power Roll Solar come in. They are pushing the ten-year limit with novel architecture that produces perovskite cells with projected lifetimes of up to 15 years and that are far cheaper, resulting in a 2 to 3-year return on investment.

That’s why the headline. Perovskite versus silicon – the up-and-comer will soon knock out the reigning champion of photovoltaics.