China is taking a leading role in the commercialization of perovskite solar technology, despite being the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitter. The country already dominates the silicon solar panel manufacturing sector and is quickly integrating perovskites into mass production. While experts raise concerns about competition and the longevity of perovskite panels, several Chinese startups are successfully producing and selling significant quantities of these panels. By leveraging government support and a strong local supply chain, these companies are expected to deliver perovskite solar solutions that could contribute substantially to global solar capacity in the future.
China is by far the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitter, but the country also has an outsized role in low-carbon energy infrastructure. It already dominates silicon-based solar panel manufacturing, and now it’s leading the world in bringing much-hyped perovskite solar technology into mass production. Across the world, perovskites attract both enthusiasm and skepticism. Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at the clean energy research firm BloombergNEF, is in the skeptical camp, emphasizing that perovskites must survive intense competition. Today, China makes 95% of all the world’s polycrystalline silicon, a critical raw material for solar panels, Chase says. But hundreds of gigawatts per year of solar manufacturing lines are sitting idle, mainly in China. “The solar manufacturing industry is in a bloodbath, prices aren’t covering cost, and the big players are laying off staff,” she says. Still, in China, government officials, researchers, and executives in industry are teaming up with academics to commercialize perovskites. Four start-ups are already selling megawatts’ worth of perovskite panels, more output than the rest of the world combined, and a fifth company, Wonder Solar, is due to join them later this year. All have plans to open factories in 2025 that will produce enough panels in a year to generate at least 1 GW of electricity. By comparison, companies in other countries are “more likely to struggle,” says Jian Zhao, a senior project manager at Mitsui & Co. Global Strategic Studies Institute. “While Japanese and European companies are competitive with China on the technological front, they will probably face challenges in cost reduction and securing demand,” he says.
Renshine Solar Technology: Roll-to-roll compatible coating process for large-area perovskite film formation; vacuum deposition for charge transport layers. Commercial status: 10 MW R&D center and 150 MW mass production line; planning a gigawatt capacity line. Founded: 2021. Wonder Solar Technology: Solution-phase printing methods. Commercial status: Two 200 MW capacity plants operational; one up to 3 GW plant under construction. Products will be commercially available in late 2025. Founded: 2016. UtmoLight Technology: Vacuum deposition and then a solution process for the perovskite layer; physical vapor deposition for electron transport materials. Commercial status: 150 MW pilot line; 1 GW plant already operational at 25% capacity. Founded: 2020. GCL Optoelectronic Materials Technology: Solution coating and then crystallization for the perovskite layer; physical vapor deposition for electron transport materials. Commercial status: 100 MW pilot line operational since 2021, mainly R&D focused; building complete for a 1 GW line, with equipment due to be operational by end of 2025. Founded: 2010. Microquanta Semiconductor Technology: Solution-based roll-to-roll compatible coating for perovskite layer. Commercial status: 100 MW plant in operation since 2023; planning a gigawatt-scale plant. Founded: 2015.
Perovskites in solar cells have little in common with the calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3) mineral discovered by Russian scientist Lev Perovski, other than the ABX3 formula. In solar panel perovskites, A is a positively charged organic