Solar energy is renewable, inexhaustible, and the most abundant energy in the world. Of course, it powers nearly all life on our planet.

Sunlight is composed of 2 main energy light sources: red and blue light.

Current PV systems capture the red light. The blue light could be captured by a new kind of solar cell called perovskite (named after the mineral). Perovskite, unlike PV, can be painted onto glass. The challenge has been to make it durable enough to be deployed in the real world for 25 years, as you can with PV systems.

However, the goal of increasing solar power efficiency has eluded scientists for decades. Photosynthesis (plants capture sunlight and turn it into energy) is around 0.2% efficient. Current PV solar panels are 23% efficient. Perovskite theoretically could be 50%. For each 1% increase in solar efficiency (you produce more electricity) in the same space and with the same costs of labor and equipment, the economics of the project improve substantially.

So, using perovskite to increase solar energy cell efficiency from 23% towards 50% is the holy grail of solar energy.

Over the last 10 years, the goal has changed. Don’t replace PV, but add perovskite to PV. That is, put the perovskite layer over the PV layer, and you generate nearly double the energy production per panel! These so-called tandems are finally being manufactured at scale.

This is an American breakthrough. Chinese companies have dominated PV energy since the early 2000s. This technology and the advanced manufacturing required give American companies a technological advantage.