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Lessons from copper indium gallium sulfo-selenide solar cells for progressing perovskite photovoltaics

Nature Energy (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

The growing demand for photovoltaic (PV) technologies that are lightweight and flexible and can be integrated seamlessly into diverse applications has propelled interest in thin-film solar cells. Among these, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) and metal halide perovskites have garnered significant attention in the past and present, respectively. Although CIGS reached commercial readiness after decades of refinement, its large-scale deployment was hindered by manufacturing complexity, scale-up challenges and a lack of coordination between materials, device design and production systems. Despite setting record efficiencies at an unprecedented pace perovskite solar cells now face similar challenges on their path to commercialization: ensuring long-term stability; translating laboratory performance to scalable architectures; and aligning with industrial realities. Here we revisit the CIGS experience not as a benchmark, but as a blueprint, highlighting how its successes and failures can inform a more deliberate and durable trajectory for perovskite PV. By bridging this historical perspective with the current frontier, we propose that the future of perovskites depends not only on continued innovation, but also on learning from past thin-film PV experiences to avoid repeating their pitfalls.

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Fig. 1: Global investment trends and key historical milestones in CIGS and perovskite PV technologies from 1960–2025.
Fig. 2: Comparative framework for CIGS and perovskite PV.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanomaterials Spectroscopy and Imaging Group, Transport at Nanoscale Interfaces Laboratory, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland

    Mirjana Dimitrievska

  2. Micro and Nanotechnologies Group, Thin Film Photovoltaics Laboratory, Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    Edgardo Saucedo

  3. Center for Research in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    Edgardo Saucedo

  4. Center for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Stefaan De Wolf

  5. Clean Energy Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Billy J. Stanbery

  6. Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

    Billy J. Stanbery

  7. Berbetin, Antibes, France

    Veronica Bermudez Benito

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  1. Mirjana Dimitrievska
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  2. Edgardo Saucedo
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  3. Stefaan De Wolf
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  4. Billy J. Stanbery
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  5. Veronica Bermudez Benito
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Correspondence to Mirjana Dimitrievska or Veronica Bermudez Benito.

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Dimitrievska, M., Saucedo, E., De Wolf, S. et al. Lessons from copper indium gallium sulfo-selenide solar cells for progressing perovskite photovoltaics. Nat Energy (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01936-0

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