Wednesday, November 4, 2026Updated every morning at 5:30 AM ET
NanotechProgress

Perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells

A tandem solar cell stacks a thin perovskite cell on top of an ordinary silicon cell. Each layer catches a different part of sunlight, so together they can turn more of it into electricity than silicon can alone.

PV Tech, 16 July 2026
Solar cell · how far it has got4/5Approved or on sale

How far from your life: You can get it now, though it may not be common yet.

Company-reported

From lab to your life

Why it’s on step 4

  1. 1Lab discovery
  2. 2Working prototype
  3. 3Real-world testing
  4. 4Approved or on sale
  5. 5Everyday life

The rule

A regulator approved or cleared it where approval applies (the FDA, the EMA, a CE mark), or it is sold to the public or to customers beyond a trial.

  • Oxford PV shipped its first commercial tandem panels, with 24.5% module efficiency, to a customer in the US. Oxford PV, 5 Sept 2024

The short version

What you need to know

Why it matters

Oxford PV says its first panels produce up to 20% more energy than a standard silicon panel of the same size.

Oxford PV, 5 Sept 2024
Is it really nano?

Partly nano

The perovskite is a thin film rather than a nanomaterial. We follow it because much of the work to make it efficient and durable happens at the scale of molecules and grain surfaces.

Where you’ll find it

Oxford PV's first commercial panels, sold from September 2024.

Oxford PV, 5 Sept 2024
Who’s behind it

Oxford PV (first commercial panels), LONGi (record cells) and many labs

On the record

Every step, dated

Newest first. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself.

  1. Working prototype

    A LONGi tandem cell reached 35.5% efficiency, a world record, certified by the European Solar Test Installation.

    PV Tech, 16 July 2026
  2. On saleCompany-reported

    Oxford PV shipped its first commercial tandem panels, with 24.5% module efficiency, to a customer in the US.

    Oxford PV, 5 Sept 2024

Who makes it

The companies

  • Private companyOxford PV

    Makes perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar panels; shipped its first commercial panels in 2024.

    We track:Tandem solar

  • 601012SSELONGi Green Energy

    A Chinese solar panel maker; reported a 35.5% efficient silicon-perovskite tandem cell in July 2026.

    We track:Tandem solar