[Insight] Perovskite PV Solar Cells: Awakening After 16 Years – Is Mass Production Finally on the Horizon?

Beijing, October 13, 2025 – After more than a decade of laboratory promises and elusive timelines, perovskite solar technology may be on the cusp of a commercial breakthrough. Once hailed as the next-generation photovoltaic contender, perovskite has drawn investments from silicon giants, battery makers, and even electric vehicle companies. Yet, mass production has remained a distant dream—until now.

In May 2025, a groundbreaking paper published in Science magazine spotlighted a major advancement in perovskite technology. Led by Yan Buyi, Chief Technology Officer of Hangzhou-based Xianna Optoelectronics, the research team introduced a three-dimensional laminar airflow technique. This innovation, likened to a sophisticated "range hood" over a glass substrate coated with perovskite solution, addresses the long-standing challenge of uniform crystallization in large-area perovskite films. As reported by People's Daily, this breakthrough enables stable, batch production of square-meter-scale perovskite modules, bridging the gap from lab experiments to industrial-scale application.

Building on this, Xianna has operationalized a 100 MW perovskite production line with module yields exceeding 98.5%. A 0.79-square-meter module achieves 118W of power. Furthermore, a 500 kW commercial perovskite power station demonstrates superior performance: equivalent full-load hours per unit capacity are 29% higher than crystalline silicon modules, and high-temperature seasonal generation surges by 31.9%.

A High-Stakes Bet Foretold

The momentum traces back to 2019, when China's Ministry of Science and Technology's guidelines for renewable energy R&D explicitly prioritized stable, large-area perovskite battery technologies. This policy signal ignited a rush into the sector.

By 2022, the world's first perovskite ground-mounted PV station broke ground in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, with a 12 MW capacity and a 60 million yuan investment. Yao Jizhong, Chairman of Xianna New Energy, hailed it as a milestone at the ceremony, noting the company's global-first 100 MW production base. True to form, in July 2022, Xianna shipped 5,000 units of its alpha perovskite commercial modules, marking the technology's entry into commercialization.

The milestones accelerated: In early 2023, the first perovskite industrial rooftop station went online; by July, a perovskite-fishery complementary station debuted. In November, a 1 MW perovskite ground station in Inner Mongolia's Kubuqi Desert integrated into a larger 2 GW PV sand-control project, becoming the world's first commercial megawatt-scale perovskite installation using 11,200 Xianna alpha modules.

By October 2024, Xianna supplied modules for a 1 MW rooftop distributed PV project in Qinghai's high-altitude region, one of China's largest perovskite stations.

Equity data from Qichacha reveals state backing: Holdings by entities under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Quzhou SASAC, and Beijing SASAC range from 5% to 6%. In June 2024, Quzhou's ecology bureau approved an environmental impact report for a gigawatt-scale perovskite base, with Phase 1 targeting 1 GW annual production at a 176.9 million yuan investment, spanning 113 acres.

Could Quzhou foster a "Quzhou Era" in perovskites? The question hinges on whether the technology's barriers can sustain a market leader.

The Inescapable Dilemma

Perovskite's allure stems from its simplicity. Unlike geological perovskites, this ABX3 crystal structure—neither containing calcium nor titanium—is synthetically designed with tunable bandgaps. Preparation is straightforward: Mix salts, spin-coat, and dry. Costs plummet accordingly; estimates from 2014 by Oxford's Henry Snaith pegged perovskite electricity at $0.35 per kWh versus silicon's $0.70.

Raw materials are abundant and cheap, with flexible formulations. Production—from solution to module—can occur in one factory in under 45 minutes, versus silicon's multi-factory, three-day process requiring ultra-pure silicon.

Two years ago, MW-scale lines hit 1 yuan/W costs, with GW lines at 0.6 yuan/W. Efficiency shines brighter: Single-junction perovskites approach silicon's 29.4% theoretical limit, but silicon-perovskite tandems hit 34.6% (Longi's June 2024 record), with a 43% ceiling. All-perovskite tandems could exceed 50%.

Yet, the "impossible triangle" looms: Scaling efficiency and stability. Early 2011 devices jumped from 3.8% to 6.5% efficiency but degraded 80% in minutes due to liquid electrolytes. Today, small-scale efficiencies soar, but large-area modules falter, often underperforming silicon.

Defects in film formation reduce density and conductivity. Unlike silicon's modular assembly, perovskites demand uniform large-area deposition, straining equipment—especially domestic vacuum coaters lagging international standards.

Structurally, perovskites resemble sandwiches: Transparent electrode, electron transport layer, perovskite absorber, hole transport layer, and metal electrode. Crystallization control is paramount, per experts like Mai Yaohua of Jinan University.

Stability plagues too: Ionic bonds decompose easily, ions migrate, and additives like methylammonium chloride volatilize at high temperatures. Environmental sensitivity to water and oxygen exacerbates issues. Lifespans can be 1/20th of silicon's, unverified long-term.

Lead toxicity adds scrutiny: Essential for performance, it risks leaching in damage, posing health and environmental hazards. Lead-free alternatives (tin, germanium) lag in efficiency.

Encouragingly, innovations persist. This month, Nankai University's Yuan Mingjian team, collaborating internationally, devised in-situ crystallization control for lead-based films without methylammonium chloride, achieving top-tier efficiency and stability, as published in Nature and covered by Xinhua.

An Uneven Starting Line

Beyond Xianna's decade-long focus, industry stalwart GCL Optoelectronics advanced in late 2024: A 1m x 2m single-junction module hit 18.04% efficiency, signaling GW-scale potential.

Analysts forecast commercialization exploding in 2026, with a 95 billion yuan market by 2030.

Yet, the race favors incumbents. Silicon-perovskite tandems attract giants: Jinko Energy's N-type TOPCon tandem at 32.33%; Tongwei's at 31.13%; Huasheng's HJT-perovskite pilot eyeing 28-30% by 2025.

These require precise processes, but established firms boast tolerance for errors. Ultimately, success hinges on levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) over lifetimes.

As perovskites step from infancy, time is short. While emerging as photovoltaic leaders, they must overcome hurdles swiftly.

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