Photovoltaic scale-up and deployment

The growth of photovoltaics in electricity markets and in research laboratories brings exciting challenges in scaling-up innovative technologies and deploying them for a variety of applications.

Recent developments in photovoltaic technologies enable stimulating architectural integration into building façades and rooftops. Upcoming policies and a better coordination of all stakeholders will transform how we approach building-integrated photovoltaics and should lead to strong deployment.

Low photovoltaic module costs imply that increasing the energy yield per module area is now a priority. We argue that modules harvesting sunlight from both sides will strongly penetrate the market but that more field data, better simulation tools and international measurement standards are needed to overcome perceived investment risks.

The photovoltaic reliability community is well-established and links researchers from academia and the industry. Here, Snaith and Hacke draw lessons from the development of international reliability standards for commercial technologies to inform future work on perovskite solar cells and modules.

Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ photovoltaics exhibit high solar cell efficiencies but the module efficiencies lag far behind. Here, Bermudez and Perez-Rodriguez review the origins of the cell-to-module gap and the solutions proposed to enable the scale-up of this photovoltaic technology.

Scaling up perovskite film deposition necessitates controlling the film formation dynamics. Here, Deng et al. use amphoteric choline surfactants to blade-coat well-passivated films, reaching module efficiencies of ~15% for aperture areas up to 57 cm².

Multijunction solar cells are more efficient and more expensive than single-junction photovoltaic cells, but their cost-effectiveness remains unclear. Here, Sofia et al. study the manufacturing costs of thin-film devices to analyse the levelized cost of electricity of single and multijunctions in the United States.

Transparency offers integration routes unavailable to opaque photovoltaics. Here, Lunt and co-workers review recent progress in transparent solar technologies, highlight technical challenges and measurement considerations, and review performance requirements for various applications.

Tariff structures and network constraints might incentivize storing solar energy in the home to reduce reliance on utilities. This study shows that storing solar energy rather than exporting it to the utility grid could increase electricity consumption as well as CO₂, SO₂ and NO_x emissions.

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a potential low-cost alternative to existing technologies. In this Perspective, Park et al. explore a strategy for the commercialisation of perovskite solar cells.

Solar power is increasingly economical, but its value to the grid decreases as its penetration grows, and existing technologies may not remain competitive. We propose a mid-century cost target of US$0.25 per W and encourage the industry to invest in new technologies and deployment models to meet it.

The past five years have seen substantial cost reductions and greatly increased uptake of photovoltaics. Growth is being driven by ongoing improvements in both silicon solar cell costs and performance, making the commercialization of new technologies increasingly difficult.