Thin Film Solar Gets A Muscular Perovskite Makeover

The article discusses the emerging role of perovskite, a next-generation solar material, in enhancing thin film solar technology, particularly through the efforts of the US-based manufacturer First Solar. Thin film solar cells, unlike traditional rigid silicon cells, are lightweight, flexible, and can be produced via sprayable solutions, offering advantages in durability, longevity, and lower manufacturing costs. Although thin film solar typically has lower conversion efficiency compared to silicon, it has established a significant presence in the US utility-scale solar market. This success is partly due to federal energy policies aimed at reducing dependence on overseas silicon suppliers by supporting domestic innovation in cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin film technology, with First Solar playing a key role in this development through a longstanding partnership with the US Department of Energy. First Solar, founded in the 1990s from research at the University of Toledo, has advanced CdTe thin film solar cells to new efficiency records, with a goal of reaching 30% conversion efficiency by