Chinese solar panel giant Longi Green Energy Technology has applied for a patent for a perovskite solar cell technology used for laminating photovoltaic panels, according to the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

Perovskite solar cells use perovskite structural materials as light-absorbing materials and are hailed as the “third-generation photovoltaic cell technology.”

Perovskite solar cells are theoretically more efficient and less costly than crystalline silicon PV cells. The conversion efficiency of unijunction perovskite solar cells can be up to 31 percent, better than that of crystalline silicon cells, while that of multijunction perovskite solar cells can be as high as 45 percent.

Perovskite solar panels will likely account for 30 percent of China’s total by 2030, according to the China Photoelectric Industry Association. The country will add 2 gigawatts of perovskite solar capacity this year, rising to 161 GW in 2030, analysts from AskCI Consulting predict.

Solar module maker Kunshan GCL Photoelectric Materials, the world's leading developer of perovskite PV industrialization technology UtmoLight, and other top firms have invested in unijunction perovskite solar cells. Longi Green Energy Technology, Jinko Solar, and Tongwei are focusing on perovskite lamination technology.

Production costs need to be lower to bring perovskite solar cells out of the laboratory and into large-scale mass production and commercialization. Unijunction perovskite modules cost between CNY1.30 and CNY1.35 (18 US cents and 19 US cents) per watt, making them pricier than crystalline silicon modules at CNY1 per watt, Yicai learned.

The challenges of large-scale production and efficiency are difficulties in the industrialization process of perovskite, a source at a company that works with the mineral told Yicai. They include technological issues and the integration of industry and equipment, the person noted.

Perovskite panel costs will likely drop to between 50 Chinese cents and 60 Chinese cents (7 US cents and 8 US cents) per watt, as devices for mass production become more sophisticated, their efficiency rises, and their service life and reliability become dependable, according to Sinolink Securities, which added that it is hard to predict when that will happen.