Panasonic is among the companies readying low-cost perovskite solar cells for the market
Credit: Panasonic.

The cost of solar power is sinking practically by the day, and the next new “hot” solar cell material — perovskite — will push costs down even more. So far you can’t get perovskite solar cells in stores but this year will bring a trickle into the market, and a batch of new research suggests that the trickle will become a flood. When that happens, look out. The thermal coal market is already in the toaster and perovskite could fry it to a crisp while also dragging natural gas down along, too.

Perovskite For More & Cheaper Solar Cells

Perovskite is a naturally occurring mineral (aka calcium titanate) that has been known to science since its discovery in the Ural mountains in 1839.

Science may have known perovskite, but researchers didn’t fully cotton on to its photovoltaic properties until the 1950s.

Synthetic perovskite is relatively inexpensive and easy to make, which brings up the prospect of using it as a substitute for silicon, the main […]