NREL perovskite experiment reveals improved stability, researchers claim 30%+ efficiency is possible

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The NREL has been researching perovskite technology, which it believes holds the potential for high conversion efficiency compared with silicon-based technology. Image: NREL

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have found that a tin-lead perovskite cell can overcome problems with stability and improve efficiency, with their latest experiment yielding a 25.5% conversion efficiency.

The new cell, which is a tandem design with two layers of perovskites, retained 80% of its maximum efficiency after 1,500 hours of continuous operation, or more than 62 days, with the results published in the journal Nature Energy.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“This represents an accelerated aging test in the lab,” said Kai Zhu, a senior scientist at NREL and co-author of a new paper detailing the research, which was funded by the DOE’s Solar Energies Technology Office. “At this tandem efficiency level, the best reported stability in literature is normally several hundred hours.”

Perovskites, a crystalline structure rather than a specific element such as silicon, have been touted as a potential game changing future technology in the solar space, with the promise of high conversion efficiencies compared with silicon-based cells.

The study’s authors believe a tandem perovskite cell, in which two layers are joined to capture slightly different slices of the solar spectrum, can be more than 30% efficient.

Authors built on a previous 2019 experiment by adding phenethylammonium iodide along with guanidinium thiocyanate, which resulted in the tin-lead perovskite increasing its carrier lifetime to roughly nine microseconds.

“The combined additives also reduced the defect density associated with tin oxidation to a level unprecedented for tin-lead perovskites and similar to the values for lead-only perovskites,” said the NREL, which is not the only research organisation pursuing the technology.

In March, researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan found that the chemical process of halogen bonding has “considerable potential for the development of a new generation of solar cells based on perovskites”, while a month earlier researchers in Saudi Arabia reported the “the first ever” successful damp-heat test of perovskite solar cells, which they claim has moved the technology closer towards commercial viability.

Elsewhere, there has been a number of company announcements aimed at getting ahead in the perovskite game. Battery storage manufacturer NGK Insulators invested in EneCoat Technologies, a spin-out of Kyoto University involved in the development of perovskite solar cells, while US perovskite company Tandem PV closed on the first half of a US$12 million Series A raise in April for building a pilot manufacturing facility in its headquarters of San Jose, California.

And, earlier this month, Perovskite-based PV manufacturer Saule Technologies partnered with Google Cloud and renewables company Columbus Energy to advance its technology.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.

Read Next

Premium
June 10, 2025
PV Tech Premium spoke with Geoffrey Lehv of kWh Analytics about cybersecurity, AI and solar project underperformance.
June 10, 2025
US residential solar companies Sunnova and Solar Mosaic have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
June 9, 2025
Solar manufacturer Qcells has launched a recycling arm, called EcoRecycle, and a recycling plant in the US state of Georgia.
June 9, 2025
Growing political headwinds threaten to dent US solar manufacturing and project deployment, despite a strong start to 2025.
June 9, 2025
US residential solar installer Sunnova has laid off more than half of its workforce, while a subsidiary from Delaware filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
June 6, 2025
rPlus Energies has secured more than US$500 million for an 800MW solar-plus-storage project in Emery County, Utah, US.  

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece