Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells stack two light-absorbing materials to capture more of the solar spectrum than silicon cells alone. MIT Technology Review included them in its 2024 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies, reporting laboratory efficiencies above 33%. That is a cell-testing result—not the expected output of an ordinary installed solar panel—and the technology’s durability and field performance remain important questions.
What is a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell?
It is a solar cell that combines a perovskite absorber with a conventional silicon cell. Each material responds to different wavelengths of sunlight; stacked together, they can use a broader part of the spectrum and potentially convert more incoming light to electricity than silicon alone. MIT Technology Review described this approach as a way to improve the amount of electricity produced per cell.
Silicon remains the established material: the feature attributed 95% of the solar-cell market to silicon cells in 2024. Perovskite-only cells use the perovskite material without the silicon tandem layer. The tandem design combines the two rather than replacing silicon outright.
How do tandem cells compare with silicon and perovskite-only cells?
| Cell type | Absorber and sunlight use | Efficiency evidence in the feature | Durability and field evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional silicon | Silicon absorber; captures the wavelengths it can use. | No comparable efficiency figure stated in the feature. | No comparable outdoor durability or field-yield result stated in the feature. |
| Perovskite-only | Perovskite absorber; the feature does not give a separate spectral-coverage comparison for this cell type. | No perovskite-only figure stated in the feature. | The feature describes moisture and heat as degradation risks for perovskites, but does not provide a separate field result for perovskite-only cells. |
| Perovskite-silicon tandem | Layers absorb different parts of the spectrum, broadening its use compared with silicon alone. | The feature reported more than 33% laboratory conversion efficiency for tandem cells. It also reported Oxford PV’s May 2023 announcement of 28.6% for a commercial-size tandem cell. | The feature said tandem panels had seen little outdoor testing at the time; it gives no comparable field-yield result. |
The figures in the tandem row are cell efficiencies, not comparable measurements of deployed module output or annual energy production. The feature’s market-share and efficiency statements describe the situation it reported in 2024, not independently verified current figures.
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What does the reported efficiency mean?
Conversion efficiency describes how much incoming sunlight a cell converts into electricity under test conditions. The above-33% result reported by MIT Technology Review was a laboratory figure. Oxford PV’s 28.6% announcement, made in May 2023 and reported by the feature, referred to a commercial-size cell; “commercial-size” does not mean a complete panel installed in the field.
A cell result cannot by itself tell a buyer how much electricity a solar module will generate over a year. Module construction, operating conditions, degradation, and the installation all matter. The feature does not provide comparable module results, annual yields, costs, or warranties. Its suggestion that tandems could produce more electricity at lower cost if deployed at scale is a possibility, not an established outcome.
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Why is durability the key challenge?
Perovskites can degrade when exposed to moisture and heat. For a solar panel expected to operate outdoors over many years, protecting the absorber and maintaining performance are as important as reaching a high laboratory efficiency. MIT Technology Review reported that tandem panels had undergone limited outdoor testing when its feature was published in January 2024.
The feature described two approaches researchers were pursuing: stronger barriers to protect the material and more stable perovskite compounds. Those research directions address degradation, but the article did not establish long-term field durability or provide warranty data. A laboratory record therefore does not settle whether a tandem module can retain its performance in real installations.
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Are perovskite tandem panels available?
MIT Technology Review’s January 19, 2024 feature said Oxford PV planned a first panel deployment and manufacturing progress during 2024, and anticipated that other companies might announce products later that year. Those were forecasts made at publication, not proof of what is available in October 2026. The evidence cited here does not establish current availability, markets served, warranty terms, or independently measured field performance.
For a purchase decision, verify the specific product’s market availability, module-level specifications, warranty, and independently documented outdoor performance with the manufacturer and installer. The historical cell-efficiency figures alone cannot answer those questions.
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Why MIT Technology Review named the technology a 2024 breakthrough
The case for the breakthrough was a rapidly improving laboratory efficiency trajectory paired with the prospect of combining perovskite and silicon’s different spectral responses. In its January 2024 feature, Emma Foehringer Merchant reported tandem-cell results above 33% and described the technology’s potential to produce more electricity at lower cost at scale. The promise is substantial, but commercial impact depends on translating cell performance into durable, economical modules that work outdoors.
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