A Full-Size Perovskite Solar Panel Reaches 22% Efficiency and Passes Reliability Tests

A perovskite solar panel large enough for commercial installation has crossed a threshold that small laboratory cells often miss: high efficiency after manufacturing at scale. A team led by Nanjing University reports a certified 22% total-area efficiency for a 0.72-square-metre module, alongside a complete pass through an international reliability test sequence.

KEY NUMBER
22% certified total-area efficiency on a 0.72-square-metre module means the inactive borders and interconnections were included in the measurement.

Why this is more than another efficiency record

Perovskite cells absorb light efficiently and can be deposited from solution, but a headline number from a postage-stamp-sized cell says little about a saleable panel. Larger modules add electrical interconnections, wider coating areas and many more places where microscopic defects can drain current or admit moisture.

The new result advances from the laboratory scale discussed in NewTqnia's earlier coverage of a molecular layer for perovskite cells. In the peer-reviewed Nature paper, the authors report 24% certified aperture efficiency on an 810-square-centimetre module and 22% when the full 0.72-square-metre panel area is counted.

A protective layer that survives heat and moisture

The team treated the perovskite surface with lead carboxylates, especially lead dioleate. These molecules bind to under-coordinated lead sites, reduce electronic defects and form a water-repelling barrier. The coating was applied during ambient manufacturing by slot-die coating, a method that meters liquid across a moving surface rather than preparing one tiny cell at a time.

The Nanjing University account of the tests says a treated module lost 2% of its initial performance after 1,300 hours at 85 degrees Celsius and 85% relative humidity. A comparison module using an ammonium-based treatment lost 39% under the same conditions. The treated modules also endured 300 temperature cycles between minus 40 and 85 degrees Celsius with almost no reported loss.

What the qualification tests establish

The modules passed the IEC 61215 sequence, which exposes photovoltaic devices to damp heat, thermal cycling, ultraviolet light and mechanical stress. The IEC description of the standard makes the distinction clear: it is designed to reveal defects that could affect long-term operation, not to predict an exact service life for every climate or installation.

A short field comparison offers another encouraging signal. From March through May 2026, the study team compared a one-megawatt perovskite array with a 3.5-megawatt silicon TOPCon installation at the same site. Per unit of rated capacity, the perovskite array reportedly generated 3.42% more electricity in March, 3.79% more in April and 5.81% more in May. Those figures come from the research and industry partners and still need longer, independently audited operation.

What happens next

The useful next milestone is not another small increase in initial efficiency. Manufacturers need multi-year yield data, failure rates from large production batches, transparent cost figures and a closed process for recovering lead from damaged or retired modules.

The team has moved from a 17.2% total-area module reported in a 2025 Science paper to 22% at the same broad scale. That pace is notable, but commercial readiness will depend on whether factories can reproduce the passivation uniformly and whether the panels retain their output outside accelerated chambers.

Takeaway

This is a credible scale-up result because certification counted the whole panel and the device completed a recognized reliability sequence. The unresolved question is endurance: 1,300 hours of damp heat and three months outdoors are strong screening results, not a substitute for years of independently measured generation.