Perovskia solar

Printed solar cells for every device

Jul 18, 2024 | MANUEL MARTIN

Charging smartwatches, keyboards and the like could soon be a thing of the past. The Empa spin-off Perovskia Solar prints customized solar cells for almost any electronic device. These can be produced cost-effectively – and even work indoors.

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Printed solar cells from Perovskia Solar: The spin-off's customized solar cells can be integrated into almost all electronic devices and sensors. Image: Perovskia Solar

Every person owns an average of seven electronic devices. There are several billion devices in use around the world – and with the upcoming Internet of Things (IoT), the number is growing all the time. These need to be regularly recharged or their batteries replaced. The Empa spin-off Perovskia Solar has therefore specialized in custom-made solar cells for every conceivable electronic device.

Conventional silicon solar cells, however, are complex and expensive to customize and inefficient under poor lighting conditions. "We can print new types of perovskite solar cells in any size – and at low cost. With their high efficiency, they can power almost any electronic device indoors in bright home and office lighting," says company founder Anand Verma.

A new factory for customized solar cells
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Perovskia solar's production facility. Image: Perovskia Solar

Perovskites have excellent properties: They absorb light particularly efficiently and are good at conducting the generated electricity. Until now, however, perovskite-based solar cells were neither stable nor durable enough for large-scale use. Verma therefore spent five years at Empa developing printing processes for perovskite solar cells before setting up his own company in 2020. The Empa spin-off is currently on the road to success: Perovskia Solar supplies over 25 international companies with customized solar cells for the IoT and for consumer electronics devices. The company recently set up a factory in Aubonne in the canton of Vaud. One million perovskite elements are to be printed there every year to equip electronic devices with solar cells that supply our digital lifestyle with electricity.





Empa Quarterly #84
Open Lab Day

On September 14, 2024, Empa Dübendorf will open the doors of its laboratories to the public. At over 70 stations, visitors will be able to experience current Empa research live on topics such as climate change, the energy transition, human and environmental health and much more. The stories in this issue give a small taste of the variety of materials and technologies that are discovered, researched, and developed in Empa's laboratories. Hungry for more? Visit us on September 14!

Read the latest EmpaQuarterly online or download the PDF version.


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