A research team led by Ke Xiao and Hairen Tan from Nanjing University's College of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with Renshine Solar, has developed an integrated green manufacturing strategy that simultaneously overcomes three major obstacles to the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics: toxic solvent use, film non-uniformity in large-area fabrication, and operational reliability. Their work presents a scalable and environmentally responsible approach to producing high-performance, stable perovskite solar modules.

Fig. 1. Perovskite preparation with GVL/DMSO/2-MeTHF mixed solvent system.

The breakthrough is enabled by two core innovations: a green solvent-based ink composed of γ-valerolactone, 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, and dimethylsulfoxide, which eliminates the need for conventional toxic solvents; and a solvent confinement edge-protection (SCEP) strategy, which ensures exceptional film uniformity over large areas by mitigating the detrimental "edge effects" during coating.

Using this combined approach, the team fabricated a large-area perovskite photovoltaic module measuring 7,200 square centimeters under ambient air conditions. The module achieved a certified total-area steady-state efficiency of 17.2% from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and, critically, passed the full suite of IEC 61215 reliability standards as certified by TÜV Rheinland.

Fig. 4. Reliability tests of commercial perovskite PV modules following IEC 61215:2021 standards.

This study demonstrates a viable pathway to scalable and sustainable industrial production of perovskite photovoltaics, effectively bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and commercial reality. The relevant research results were published on December 5, 2025, in the journal Science under the title "Improved solvent systems for commercially viable perovskite photovoltaic modules".

Souce: Improved solvent systems for commercially viable perovskite photovoltaic modules | Science