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  • NEWS FEATURE

The reality behind solar power’s next star material

Companies say they are close to commercializing cheap perovskite films that could disrupt solar power — but are they too optimistic?
  1. Andy Extance

    1. Andy Extance is a freelance writer in Exeter, UK.

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The Henn na hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, is not shy of trialling futuristic technology. It claimed to be the world’s first robot-staffed hotel in 2015 — but cut down on the automation after its robotic concierges frustrated some customers and didn’t reduce costs. Now, the Henn na is testing another attention-grabbing innovation: since December, its sign has been powered by a curved wall of prototype solar cells installed in the hotel’s grounds. Made by Polish start-up firm Saule Technologies, the cells exploit micrometre-thin films made from materials called perovskites, which in just a decade have shot from laboratory curiosity to bright new prospect for solar power.

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Nature 570, 429-432 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01985-y

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