TNO develops world’s first perovskite solar roof tile

Researchers at TNO have successfully applied a perovskite solar module on foil to a roof tile. Despite its curved shape, the solar roof tile module achieves an energy efficiency of 12.4%. This marks an important step towards better integrating solar energy into the built environment, creating more room for sustainable electricity generation without additional pressure on land or infrastructure.

World’s first flexible perovskite solar roof tile

The perovskite solar module on flexible foil has been applied in collaboration with ASAT B.V. to a curved composite roof tile. Measurements show that bending the module onto the roof tile has only a limited effect on its performance. The individual modules achieved an energy efficiency of up to 13.8%. After installation on a curved roof tile, 12.4% efficiency was retained.

From laboratory to industrial production

This breakthrough is important because the used materials and processes are directly ready for industrial application: they operate under normal conditions and are suitable for large-scale roll-to-roll production of flexible solar foils. This research line enables both customised solutions and large‑scale application of flexible solar foils. TNO has completed the full development pathway: from small test cells in the laboratory, to flexible modules measuring 10 by 10 centimeters, and ultimately to a perovskite solar roof tile that can be directly applied in practice.

Collaboration and European ambitions

The roof tile is the result of collaboration within the TNO Solar Program, which brings together expertise in materials development, production technologies and testing. The project was carried out with Dutch and European partners and supports the ambition to strengthen the solar manufacturing industry in the Netherlands and Europe.

Dogan: 'The close collaboration across national and European projects enables our team to advance perovskite technology toward a full R2R manufacturing platform. We are working to demonstrate what flexible perovskite PV can achieve when produced entirely in R2R.' The development aligns with broader goals related to the energy transition, sustainability and energy security.

Next steps towards application

TNO will continue in the coming period to improve the lifetime, reliability and scalability of the technology. This lays the foundation for a next phase in which flexible perovskite solar modules can find their way into commercial applications. On 11 March, TNO established the spin‑out Perovion Technologies to help with the realisation of this commercialisation.

Funding

This demonstrator is supported by the Province of North Brabant through the project ‘Solar manufacturing industry to Brabant, Solliance 2.0’. Additional funding was received from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme for the LUMINOSITY* project. The work was also partly funded by the National Growth Fund programme SolarNL.

What other people say about this technology

Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, deputy Economy at the Province of North-Brabant:

'In Brabant, we are working on solutions to the social challenges of today and tomorrow. Thanks to the collaboration within the Solar innovation coalition and the bright minds at TNO, solar cell roof tiles are the next step in the energy transition. We aim to improve solar energy, make it more affordable and more available, while laying the foundation for increased production in Europe.'

Paul Gosselink, program manager New Energy, BOM:

'This is a tangible and incredible result out of the "Innovatie Coalitie Solar", started in 2023 by TNO/Solliance, the Province of North Brabant and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM is a Brabant-based public–private collaboration that brings together leading companies) to rebuild a competitive European solar manufacturing ecosystem, with a strong focus on next generation flexible perovskite solar technology. With this promising product BOM sees the start of creating new economic value and jobs in Brabant, and reduce Europe’s strategic dependence on non European solar supply chains.'

Karl Kiel, founder of Advanced Solar Applications Technology B.V. (ASAT):

'This demonstrator of Perovskite Solar PV integrated into our Roof Tiles shows that a commercial introduction is on the short-term horizon.'

*This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme for project LUMINOSITY under grant agreement No 101147653.