The Emergence & Development of Perovskite Based Photovoltaics

In recent years perovskite based solar cells have become a promising photovoltaic technology, most notable for their high power conversion efficiencies and potential for cheap solution-processable module production. This report identifies the ongoing research and development into the behaviour of the perovskite material as a semiconducting active area and the ever improving fabrication of perovskite solar cell devices. The largest problems and unanswered questions reviewed in this report include the long term stability of perovskite devices, and the challenge associated with up-scaling production of perovskites into high performance large area devices. There is no consensus on whether or not the stability of perovskite photovoltaics will improve enough so that their cost and relative lifetime will be competitive with silicon or cadmium telluride modules. Continued research will determine if the perovskite solar cell will ever become a commercially viable product.