Cleaner Tech
China Is Still Backing an Elusive Breakthrough for Solar Panels
- Chinese startup seeks to be first mass producer of perovskite
- Flexibility of the solar cells open up a range of applications
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At global solar power conferences in recent years, there’s been a buzzword that certain people love to discuss. While difficult to say, it easily projects a brighter future: perovskite.
Pronounced “peh-ruhv-skite,” these solar cells have tantalizing potential. Theoretically more powerful, cheaper and less energy intensive to produce than existing technology, they’re also thinner, lighter and — crucially — flexible, opening up a variety of new possible sources of clean power generation, from car rooftops to billboards.