Italian firm New Time has unveiled a strategic four-year roadmap aimed at the large-scale industrialization of perovskite solar cells in the Emilia-Romagna region. The initiative, discussed during a recent high-level summit in Forlì, involves a phased transition from research and development to full-scale manufacturing by the fourth year. By leveraging internal funding and academic partnerships from Italy and the Netherlands, the project seeks to bridge the gap between experimental efficiency and commercial viability, ultimately positioning perovskite solar module technology as a competitive alternative to traditional photovoltaics.
The roadmap is divided into four distinct operational phases. During the initial year, the company will focus on refining the perovskite chemical formulation and identifying the materials necessary to ensure long-term stability. The second year will see the commencement of small-scale production specifically for international certification. By the third year, New Time expects to have established a pilot-scale production line with stabilized industrial processes, leading to full-scale commercial manufacturing by the end of the four-year period.
To facilitate this transition, New Time plans to repurpose existing industrial facilities and is financing the endeavor through the reinvestment of corporate profits. This internal funding model is designed to support ongoing research and development without relying solely on external capital. The company noted that while current prices for perovskite solar module products are high due to unoptimized manufacturing, the goal of this project is to achieve cost parity with existing solar panel technologies while offering superior performance and efficiency gains.
The strategic framework was finalized during a two-day meeting in Forlì, which brought together a consortium of international researchers. Key contributors to the project include experts from the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the University of Bari Aldo Moro, and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. This collaboration aims to integrate advanced technical expertise with industrial manufacturing capacity to accelerate the adoption of next-generation solar cell technology.