Researchers from Nanjing University, led by Xiao Ke and Hairen Tan, have collaborated with the industrialization team at Renshine to demonstrate a significant advance in perovskite photovoltaic technology. Their work, published in Nature, describes a lead-carboxylate passivation method that addresses defects in the perovskite layer. This approach yielded a certified full-area power conversion efficiency of 22.0% on modules measuring 0.72 square meters.
The modules were subjected to the IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 test suites, which are the standard reliability and safety qualifications for commercial terrestrial photovoltaic modules. Passing these tests indicates the devices can withstand environmental stresses such as thermal cycling, humidity, and mechanical loading. The certification was performed by an accredited third-party laboratory.
Beyond laboratory certification, the team deployed the perovskite modules alongside commercial TOPCon silicon modules in an outdoor field test. Under real-world operating conditions, the perovskite modules generated more electricity than the silicon reference modules over the same period. The specific location and duration of the field trial were not detailed in the source material.
The lead-carboxylate passivation strategy works by chemically coordinating with under-coordinated lead ions at the perovskite surface and grain boundaries. This reduces non-radiative recombination losses, which are a primary limitation for efficiency in large-area devices. The method is described as compatible with existing slot-die coating production lines used for large-area fabrication.
Renshine, a company focused on perovskite commercialization, contributed the industrialization expertise required to translate the laboratory process to meter-scale manufacturing. The collaboration highlights a pathway from academic research to pilot-scale production using scalable coating techniques.
Perovskite solar cells have long shown high efficiency potential on small laboratory cells, but scaling to module sizes relevant for power generation has historically resulted in sharp efficiency drops and stability failures. This result represents a simultaneous achievement in efficiency, area, and certified reliability.
The research does not claim that the technology is ready for immediate mass-market deployment. Remaining challenges typically include long-term operational stability beyond the accelerated test standards, encapsulation durability, and lead containment strategies for end-of-life management.
If the field performance and reliability trends hold over extended periods, this technology could offer a lower-temperature, lower-capital-expenditure alternative to silicon photovoltaics for certain applications. Further independent replication and extended outdoor data will be necessary to validate the commercial case.
Nanjing University and Renshine Publish Meter-Scale Perovskite Modules in Nature — 22% Certified Efficiency With Field-Proven Gains Over Silicon
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