Perovskite solar cells approaching commercialization

Nature : Perovskites are materials that share the same crystal structure as calcium titanium oxide. Thin films of some members of the perovskite family can be used in photovoltaic cells. Over the past several years, the efficiency of such cells has tripled and now nearly matches that of commercial silicon solar cells. However, currently they are too small to be practical, and there are concerns about the material’s durability and potential toxicity. Nevertheless, the low cost of creating perovskites has opened the door for a number of startups, as well as established companies, to begin working to solve those problems. One possible track has been to create combined cells that use perovskites to absorb wavelengths of light that silicon does not. Many of the companies expect to have something potentially usable in the next three to four years.