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.

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.