Toshiba Paving the Way for a Solar Future with Perovskite Photovoltaic Modules

SINGAPORE, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar power is the one of the most effective and important solutions of clean energy. Thin, light and flexible perovskite solar cells are a powerful option. Toshiba has developed the world's most efficient large scale film-based perovskite solar cell and in doing so, will contribute to a society where we can all enjoy a cleaner, safer and more sustainable future.

Today's most widely used photovoltaic (PV) modules are made with crystalline silicon – a heavy and rigid composition which limits where they can be installed. It is for this reason that the polymer film-based Perovskite PV module offers an attractive next-generation alternative, boasting a number of benefits over the widely-used crystalline silicon PV modules. Thinner, lighter and more flexible, Perovskite PV modules can be installed in locations where it is too difficult to use silicon PV modules, such as low load-bearing roofs and office windows.

The potential for Perovskite PV modules to deliver similar power conversion efficiency (PCE) rates to silicon versions is real - Toshiba has made significant steps in achieving this through its innovative new one-step meniscus coating method. The breakthrough one-step coating method boosts PCE to 15.1 per cent for a 703cm² sized module – the world's highest for any large, polymer film-based Perovskite photovoltaic module. A further benefit is the speed at which the coating is applied, now being 25 times faster than Toshiba's previous two-step process. In turn, these benefits help to simplify and reduce the costs of production, making the technology a commercially viable option for the future and the company is aiming to bring its modules to market in 2025.

It's estimated that the new technology could generate enough power to cover two-thirds of the annual power consumption by homes in Tokyo if installed on a roof area of 164.9km² – roughly equal to the roof surface area of all buildings in Tokyo. This technology could potentially be beneficial across industries such as manufacturing and agriculture too.

As society looks to navigate the numerous and varied environmental problems it now faces, including climate change and the depletion of energy resources, the role of solar energy alongside other renewables is of paramount importance to building a sustainable future.