In this critical moment of global energy transition, solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a core driver for achieving carbon neutrality goals. However, the high energy consumption, high material costs, and resource constraints of traditional silicon-based PV are gradually becoming bottlenecks for further industry development. Today, the rise of all-perovskite tandem technology marks a revolutionary leap in the PV industry. Recent research predicts that by 2050, this technology could reduce cumulative carbon emissions from the global PV supply chain by an additional 16.2%, while further lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to 2.91 cents/kWh, a 37.3% reduction compared to current silicon-based technology. This will not only reshape the global energy economic landscape but also provide the strongest impetus for humanity’s journey towards a zero-carbon future.
Solar PV is projected to supply 14.5 – 26.3 TW of electricity by 2050, meeting 79% of global power demand. However, traditional silicon-based PV faces significant bottlenecks in high energy consumption and material costs. All-perovskite tandem PV, with its high light absorption coefficient, higher photoelectric conversion efficiency (theoretical efficiency >43%), and low-temperature solution-based fabrication process, can significantly reduce manufacturing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The latest research by Professor Fengqi You’s team at Cornell University (Environmental Science & Technology) indicates that transitioning from silicon-based PV to all-perovskite tandem technology, with perovskite-silicon tandem as an intermediate step, could reduce cumulative carbon emissions from the PV supply chain by 16.2%, while simultaneously cutting 0.43 metric tons of tin resource consumption. Even as a transitional solution, perovskite-silicon tandem technology can still achieve a 10.8% increase in carbon reduction capacity. Its innovative electrode material system (such as fluorinated tin oxide replacing indium-based materials) breaks through key resource constraints, combining the advantages of high absorption coefficients and ultra-thin light-absorbing layers in perovskite, with unit component material usage only 1/50th that of silicon-based technology.
All-perovskite tandem technology can reduce the LCOE by an additional 21.2%-37.3% compared to silicon-based PV through large-scale production, ultimately achieving a power generation cost of 2.91-3.66 cents/kWh. This demonstrates a dual breakthrough in environmental friendliness and economic efficiency, providing a revolutionary path for the sustainable development of the PV industry.
All-perovskite tandem technology holds the key to a revolutionary leap in the PV industry. Research confirms that accelerating the transition to all-perovskite tandem technology and achieving early technological breakthroughs and large-scale production applications can significantly enhance decarbonization environmental benefits and efficiency cost reductions, restructuring the global PV supply chain.
