By 2040, Japan hopes to install enough perovskite panels to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to the addition of around 20 nuclear reactors.
Japan is investing heavily in a new kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panels that it hopes to help it achieve its renewable energy goals while challenging its control of the Chinese sector.
Flexible perovskite panels are ideal for mountainous Japan where flat plots for traditional solar farms are lacking. An important element of the panel is iodine. This is produced more than any other country other than Chile.
Push faces several obstacles. Perovskite panels contain toxic lead, and for now they produce less power than silicon counterparts and have a short lifespan.
Still, with the desire to break the net-zero goal and China’s solar advantage by 2050, Perovskite Cell is “the best card for achieving both decarbonization and industrial competitiveness,” the industry minister said in November.
“We need to make every sacrifice to succeed in their implementation in society,” he said.
The government is offering generous incentives for the industry to be equipped with the company, including enough perovskite solar panels to produce 100 megawatts by 2027, including 15.7 billion years ($1 billion) subsidies to plastic manufacturers Sekisui Chemicals.
By 2040, Japan hopes to install enough perovskite panels to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to the addition of around 20 nuclear reactors.
This should be useful to Japan’s goal of covering up to 50% of electricity demand by 2040 to renewable energy.
Perovskite solar panel infographic fact file. This is a new, ultra-thin, flexible alternative to the heavier, more cumbersome and dominant silicon panels.
Break the silicon ceiling
The country is looking for solar power generation, including perovskites and silicon-based solar cells, covering up to 29% of all electricity demand at the time, rising sharply from 9.8% in 2023.
“To increase the amount of renewable energy and achieve carbon neutrality, we must mobilize all available technologies,” said Segawa Island, a next-generation solar technology expert at the University of Tokyo.
“Perovskite solar panels can be built domestically, from raw materials to production and installation. In that sense, they can make a significant contribution to energy security and economic security,” he told AFP.
Tokyo wants to avoid the past boom and recurring bust of Japan’s solar business.
In the early 2000s, Japanese-made silicon solar panels accounted for almost half of the global market.
Japan hopes that ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help them achieve their renewable energy goals.
Today, China manages more than 80% of the world’s solar supply chain, from the production of major raw materials to assembly modules.
Silicon solar panels are made of thin wafers that are processed into cells that produce electricity.
They should be protected by reinforced glass sheets and metal frames, making the final product heavy and cumbersome.
However, perovskite solar cells are created by printing or painting materials such as iodine, leading to surfaces such as film and sheet glass.
The final product is only 1 millimeter thick, and the weight of a traditional silicon solar cell is 1/10 the weight.
Flexibility of Perovskite panels means that they can be installed on uneven and curved surfaces, an important feature of Japan, where 70% of the country is mountainous.
Generates where the power source is used
The panels are already incorporated into several projects, including the 46-storey Tokyo building, which will be completed by 2028.
An important element of the panel is iodine. Japan produces more than any other country other than Chile.
Fukuoka in the southwest says it wants to cover a dome-shaped baseball stadium with perovskite panels.
Major Electronics Brand Panasonic is also working on integrating the Perovskite windows.
“What if all of these windows are integrated into solar cells?” Kaneko, general manager of Panasonic’s Perovskite PV Development, said she would gesture to the glass-covered skyscrapers surrounding the company’s Tokyo office.
Traditional solar panels located on the hillside of Fukushima Prefecture. Flexible perovskite panels are ideal for mountainous Japan where flat plots are lacking.
This will generate electricity where it is used, reducing the burden on the grid across the country, Kaneko added.
For all enthusiasm, perovskite panels remain far from mass production.
They are less efficient than their silicon counterparts, and have a lifespan of just 10 years compared to 30 years in traditional units.
Additionally, the toxic lead contained in them means that they should be carefully disposed of after use.
Perovskite solar cells weigh only 1 millimeter thick and weigh tenths of traditional silicon cells.
However, this technology is rapidly advancing. Some prototypes work almost as strong as silicon panels, and its durability is expected to reach 20 years soon.
A professor at Segawa University believes that Japan will be able to have a capacity of 40 gigawatts from perovskite by 2040, but the technology can also speed up renewable ingestion elsewhere.
“We shouldn’t think of it as either silicon or perovskite. We need to look at ways to maximize our ability to utilize renewable energy,” Segawa said.
“If Japan can demonstrate a good model, I think it can be brought overseas.”
©2025 AFP
Quote: Japan sees the bright future of ultra-thin, extremely flexible solar panels (July 20, 2025), obtained on July 20, 2025 from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-japan-bright-future-ultra-thin.html
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