Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Perovskite Solar Technologies

The field of perovskite solar technologies has advanced rapidly over the past decade, driven by exceptional power conversion efficiencies and the promise of low-cost, scalable fabrication. Perovskite materials offer tunable bandgaps and simple deposition methods, conferring potential for flexible and tandem devices that surpass traditional silicon photovoltaics. However, this promise is counterbalanced by concerns over the environmental and health impacts of lead-based compositions, instability under operational stresses and the life cycle burdens associated with solvents, energy inputs and end-of-life waste. Sustainable deployment therefore hinges on strategies to mitigate toxic metal leaching, to develop lead-free alternatives, to refine encapsulation and to establish recycling and safe-by-design frameworks. As perovskite modules move towards commercial reality, life cycle assessments and ecotoxicological studies become indispensable for ensuring that energy gains do not come at the cost of environmental harm.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have highlighted the mobility of lead from perovskite modules into ecological systems, revealing that released Pb2+ ions can enter plant tissues more efficiently than other environmental sources and thus pose a heightened risk to the food chain. This work emphasises the necessity of stringent containment measures or complete substitution of lead to safeguard public health and ecosystems.

Another key development has demonstrated an end-of-life protocol in which decommissioned modules undergo a weakly acidic resin treatment to recover over 99 % of lead as lead iodide, alongside thermal delamination that preserves transparent conductors and glass substrates. Refabricated devices based on these recycled materials achieve performance on par with new modules and point to economically viable circular supply chains.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Perovskite Solar Technologies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sustainability and environmental impact of perovskite solar technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Perovskite: A class of crystalline materials with the ABX3 structure used as the active absorber in emerging solar cells.

Power conversion efficiency (PCE): The ratio of electrical power output to incident solar power under standard test conditions.

Life cycle assessment (LCA): A quantitative framework for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction to end-of-life.

Safe-by-design: An approach that integrates hazard identification and mitigation strategies into material and device development from the outset.

Encapsulation: Protective layering of a solar module to prevent ingress of moisture and oxygen and to contain toxic constituents.

References

1. Biological impact of lead from halide perovskites reveals the risk of introducing a safe threshold. Nature Communications (2020).
2. Recycling lead and transparent conductors from perovskite solar modules. Nature Communications (2021).
3. Green solvents, materials, and lead-free semiconductors for sustainable fabrication of perovskite solar cells. RSC Advances (2023).
4. Comparison of Perovskite Solar Cells with other Photovoltaics Technologies from the Point of View of Life Cycle Assessment. Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research (2021).
5. A comprehensive review on life cycle assessment of commercial and emerging thin-film solar cell systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2023).