Below is some recent news and technical advancements in solar panel technology that was issued in February 2025.
- This article about titanium solar panels from Japan was published, titled "Say goodbye to traditional photovoltaic panels – Japan unveils first titanium solar panel – 1000 times more powerful" - As the article indicates - "conventional solar panels use silicon-based materials, but new titanium-selenium panels have proven to be more efficient...Researchers found that by reducing the negative impact of tellurium on the selenium structure, the adhesion between the TiO₂ and Se layers was improved, allowing energy conversion efficiency to increase..."
- Based on research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia, the researchers are of the opinion that kesterite solar panels are the future. The Article titled "Goodbye to perovskite, the future is kesterite: These solar panels come from the 22nd century", and noted that "As a tandem top-cell candidate, kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 CZTS, a compound of copper, zinc, tin, and sulphur, is a high-bandgap thin film...Wide-bandgap kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), a semiconductor with a huge energy gap that may allow for more efficient light absorption...". Based on the article, lead is frequently present in perovskite cells (the alternative to kesterite) and they decay rapidly.
- In this article titled "It’s been tested in the space – Germany has the solar panel of the future", they discuss the invention of triple-junction metal wrap-through (MWT) solar cells. These are built for the difficult environment in space.
Lets see what the future holds for solar panels; and what will become financially viable and available to the wider market.
Author: Noel Clarke
Date: 05 March 2025
