Perovskite Solar Panels Guide: What Are They and Can You Buy Them? (2026)

Perovskite Solar Panels Explained

Perovskite solar panels have the potential to make silicon panels look outdated within 10 years. It’s an exciting new technology with the potential to make panels from abundant materials, with very high efficiency rates, and a thin profile which could open up many new areas of application (like cars, boats, planes, sides of buildings, and space). But there’s a catch.

Two actually, and they both mean perovskite solar panels are not yet ready for your roof. One of the most important specifications of a solar panel is its degradation rate, how fast it loses its ability to produce energy. Perovskites have a very high degradation rate, measured in weeks and months, not years.

The other issue is the requirement of toxic elements like lead in the manufacture process, and the panel itself. Not so great for us, or the planet.

In this guide we’ll do a deep dive on what perovskite solar cells are, why they’re generating so much excitement, what’s holding them back, and when you might see them on UK rooftops.

What Are Perovskite Solar Cells?

Perovskite is a crystal structure, named after a Russian scientist called Lev Perovski. There are many different types of perovskite structure, and they form around 34% of the total material of the planet.

The perovskites used in solar cells are lab-grown crystals made from lead or tin halides. Their magic comes from their ability to absorb sunlight across a broad spectrum, and very efficiently convert that sunlight into usable electricity. Perovskite solar panels can be produced at much lower (theoretical) costs, due to lower temperatures required for manufacturing, compared to silicon solar cells that need an expensive 1,400°C heating process.

Perovskite vs Silicon: The Basics

Why Is Everyone So Excited About Perovskite Solar Panels?

It comes down to the pace of innovation, and new areas of application. Silicon solar cells went from 6% efficiency to 26% in 40 years, whereas perovskite has improved from 3.8% to 26% in just 15 years. It’s a first for solar technology, but efficiency is only a part of the whole picture.

1. They Can Break Silicon’s Efficiency Ceiling

The wavelength of sunlight is wide (the whole rainbow with UV and IR on each side), and certain types of solar panel can only capture small parts of it alone. That’s why there is an upper ceiling for silicon solar panels, called the Shockley-Queisser limit (33.7%). With current commercially available panels hitting 20-25%.

However, by stacking different types of panels on top of each other you can capture a wider portion of the total light, so one layer of silicon to capture red and near infrared, and perovskite to capture green and orange light. Using them together the upper limit shifts to around 43% efficiency.

Perovskite Solar Panel Efficiency Records

As you can see, the single perovskite-silicon tandem cell has a much higher efficiency already in the lab. Scientists and researchers are estimating this could reach 30% as production-ready panels, giving 20-30% more energy from the same roof space. On a standard 4 kW system in the UK that could add up to an extra £5,000-£10,000 in additional savings over 25 years.

2. They Are Cheap to Make

Although silicon solar panels are relatively cheap to buy, starting at £50 per panel, the manufacturing process is complex and expensive. You need to heat silicon to 1,400°C where large ingots of raw silicon crystals are grown, and then sliced into thin wafers before being processed into cells.

It works, but it requires massive amounts of energy and labour.

Perovskite cells can be made with much less energy and processing, they only require 150°C of heat. The final process is more like printing, or coating the panel. The raw materials are also lower in cost: lead iodide, methylammonium, tin, and zinc. Some estimates put the final production-scale cost at around $0.12 per watt, compared to $0.25 for silicon panels.

3. They Open Up New Applications

Due to this ultra-thin, lightweight final form, it also opens up very real new possibilities for solar panel use cases:

• Building-integrated PV (BIPV): Semi-transparent panels could be placed on windows and skylights. You could imagine a whole skyscraper with its south, east and west facing windows generating energy for the building and making significant profits.
• Curved and irregular surfaces: Flexible perovskite films could be applied to vehicle roofs, portable devices, bikes, planes, tents, and backpacks.
• Lightweight installations: MIT researchers created perovskite cells thinner than a human hair that generate 18 times more power per kilogram than conventional panels. This is ideal for roofs that can’t support the weight of traditional panels.
• Solar fabrics: A jacket that charges your mobile phone, a hammock with a built-in USB port, hats that charge AirPods could all be possible with perovskite.

What’s Holding Perovskite Solar Back?

It’s easy to get this far into the research and think this has to be the future, but unfortunately there are some real issues holding perovskite solar panels back from mainstream readiness.

1. Durability and Stability

So this is the big one unfortunately. Perovskite cells lose their ability to produce electricity (due to degradation) when exposed to moisture, UV, heat and oxygen. So currently bad with air, sun and rain, not ideal. Especially compared to silicon cells which can handle UK conditions for 30-40 years. But all is not lost with perovskite.

The perovskite industry has made massive engineering progress to mitigate these issues, with Oxford PV passing critical reliability testing. They are reported to be adding guanidinium and harnessing encapsulation techniques to help reduce these issues.

But passing these tests, and surviving on a real roof for 25+ years is very different. Nobody has yet made a panel that can last that long, so the installer industry is waiting with bated breath for the next big announcements.

2. Lead Content

Another major downside is the high lead content. Perovskite solar panels use 0.4g of lead per square metre, so that’s potentially grams of lead on a single install. Multiply that by millions of installs and that poses a real risk of water supply and environmental contamination when they’re disposed of. Plus it’s always going to be a worry for the homeowner, say if a panel gets damaged and leaks lead onto a roof, which could collect in rainwater collection tanks, ponds and around the home.

There are some potential solutions, like using tin and more encapsulation techniques, but so far both have proven far less efficient.

3. Scaling Up Manufacturing

Even if you could make a perovskite cell that didn’t degrade, and could be made without lead, the final hurdle would be making them at scale. A lab-created panel is one thing, but making millions is quite another challenge. And there are some specific challenges to perovskite.

The main known challenge presently is achieving a uniform film coating over large areas (small defects harm efficiency). Then there’s competing with silicon manufacturing optimisations which has a decades-long head start. You’d need multiple years of real production runs to iron out 60% of the final issues, so realistically we’re still quite a long way off having dedicated perovskite on roofs. The most realistic option is tandem cells which slot perovskite over the top of silicon cells to add a boost layer.

The Challenges at a Glance

Who’s Leading the Perovskite Solar Race?

Several companies (and countries) are investing heavily in perovskite. Here are the main players in 2026.

Oxford PV (UK)

Oxford PV is a University of Oxford spin-out and one of the perovskite companies to keep an eye on. They have a certified perovskite-silicon tandem cell with a 26.9% efficiency, and are already building a production facility in Germany.

LONGi (China)

LONGi, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, announced in April 2025 they had achieved 34.85% efficiency with a perovskite-silicon tandem cell. Way above current silicon efficiency levels.

Trina Solar (China)

Trina Solar hit a record 30.6% efficiency on a whole panel, not just a single cell. The gap between single cell and whole panel records is closing, with speculation a full panel will hit 34% efficiency. This leads towards commercial viability.

Japan’s National Investment

Japan is investing heavily ($1.5 billion) in ultra-thin, flexible perovskite solar cells. It sees them as a strategic technology to power buildings, vehicles and reduce its reliance on fossil and nuclear fuels.

Types of Perovskite Solar Cell

There are a few types of distinct perovskite solar technology, each with their own approaches and trade-offs.

For UK homeowners, the perovskite-silicon tandem is the one to watch. It offers the highest efficiency gains while building on proven silicon technology, which means it can be manufactured on existing production lines and installed using current mounting systems.

When Can You Buy Perovskite Solar Panels?

This is the timeline the industry is expecting, but things could change drastically if breakthroughs or limitations are discovered at points in the process.

Should You Wait for Perovskite Solar Panels?

No, that would not be the best move. Here’s why.

The monocrystalline solar panels that everyone installs right now are already highly efficient (20-25%) and cheap. An average panel costs from £50 to £150, and it’s not the actual panels that are the most expensive thing when installing solar on your home. It’s getting them on the roof, and wiring them to the grid. There are several solar panel grants available that may not exist when perovskite actually gets production ready.

Every year you wait is time lost. An average UK homeowner saves £800-£1,200 per year. Waiting 3-4 years for perovskite panels means missing out on thousands in savings.

Plus the cost of perovskite panels at launch and for the following 5-10 years will likely be expensive. The manufacturing process will need time to optimise and meet production capacity. Early adopters always pay a premium. And the first generation may come with shorter warranty periods until long-term performance is proven.

It’s most likely the first production-ready panel will be used for edge cases, where silicon isn’t suitable (like for flexible panels or military use) while commercial retail-scale operations ramp up.

What Perovskite Means for the Future of Solar

The future of solar looks even brighter with perovskite panels in the mix. Imagine bus shelters powering themselves, tall office buildings that generate their own power by applying thin perovskite panels on the exterior where there is no glass. Solar-powered AI data centres in space. Laptops with panels on the back for charging. Or homes with smaller roofs being able to achieve their full energy requirement.

Perovskite panels have the theoretical ability to fix to any surface, so use cases really could explode. We could have a future where almost any surface is covered in solar panels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are perovskite solar panels better than silicon?

In terms of efficiency yes, but not in overall “production ready” terms. Silicon is still the go-to solar technology that is powering homes and businesses in the UK.

How long do perovskite solar panels last?

We still don’t know for sure. The technology is still new and simply hasn’t been around for as long as silicon. Early tests are not positive, with some cells degrading within months. Silicon solar panels can last 30-40 years.

Are perovskite solar panels toxic?

Essentially yes, they contain 0.4 grams of lead per square metre. It would be hard for 100% of that lead to leach out quickly, but with damage and over time they will almost certainly leach lead into the environment. Making monitoring while they’re on your home and later disposal a real challenge.

Can I add perovskite solar panels to my existing solar system later?

Most likely you’ll be able to replace your silicon panels with tandem cells when they’re production ready. Your current inverter, wiring and battery will almost certainly work. You could replace the whole set, or individual panels as they age and wear out.

Will perovskite panels work in the UK’s wet climate?

Along with heat and air, moisture is a known degrader of perovskite solar panels. Making the UK less than optimal. However, it’s reasonably likely that the encapsulation technology will provide enough protection.