Imagine a light in your room bringing a keyboard, alarm clock or even an electric car to life. No batteries, no wires. Just energy from the sun, hidden in transparent panels on windows and roofs. This is no longer fiction – it’s perovskite, a material capable of changing the rules of the energy game.
Some experts say perovskite solar cells could be the start of a new era in solar energy.
But it all depends on how they behave under real-world conditions.
Miracle mineral
Perovskite was first discovered in 1839 in the Ural Mountains.
Today it’s not just a mineral, but a whole family of synthetic crystals made of lead, tin, bromine and chlorine – simple, accessible elements.
Inside these crystals lies real power: they capture sunlight and turn it into electricity in much the same way that ford PV, solar cell samples are on shelves ready for all sorts of tests.
Scientists scan them under electron microscopes, check for changes in humidity and temperature, and simulate years of operation in weeks.
“We’re like time travellers: we see how the panels age in the future while they’re still new,” explains Laura Miranda, head of sustainability at Oxford PV.
Author photo, Oxford PV
Oxford PV is a startup that grew out of Oxford University, one of many projects around the world that are creating so-called tandem perovskite solar cells, a next-generation technology that could dramatically increase the efficiency of solar panels.
Power in tandem
Perovskie cells can be used separately – for example, sprayed directly on windows. But the real breakthrough comes when they age. Of particular concern is the content of lead, a toxic element potentially dangerous to humans and nature.
But scientists and startups are convinced: the amount of lead is minimal compared to the amount of energy these panels produce, and recycling and disposal will make the technology safe.
Tandem panels are ready for large-scale use, but the big question remains – will they stand the test of the real world?
The new solar reality
Today, solar energy accounts for almost 7% of global electricity production and is growing rapidly, with a 29% increase in production in 2024.
Solar panels have already become the second most expensive source of electricity after onshore wind.
Photo by Oxford PV.
Perovskite’s advantage over traditional silicon 30 years of data. ‘Perovskite doesn’t have that data yet,’ adds Joseph Berry of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
On the way to market
Oxford PV is already producing panels in Germany and has supplied the first tandem panels to a solar farm in the US. Their efficiency is now 24.5 per cent and the company is closely monitoring results in different regions of the world.
Startups in the US and China are also actively developing the technology.
In 2025, Chinese company Trinasolar reported a record tandem cell efficiency of 31.1 per cent, with other market players claiming figures of up to 33.9 per cent.
Author photo by Getty Images
The revolution has already begun
While the main target for perovskite panels is solar farms and rooftops, they are opening up new opportunities in other areas: on the roofs of electric cars or even in space for power