Can Japan's 2 Trillion Gamble on New Solar Technology Catch up with China?

Recently, AISIN, a Japanese chemical giant, announced that it would achieve mass production of thin-film perovskite solar cells in 2025.

Perovskite solar cell is a new technology different from traditional solar cells, which has the advantages of less investment, thin and easy to bend. Why did

Japan invest 2 trillion yuan in perovskite solar cell technology? Can we catch up with China?

This mineral is mainly distributed in the mantle layer of the earth, and occasionally there are surface deposits.

In China, the name of this mineral is translated as perovskite.

It is this humble mineral that has become the focus of the solar cell industry 170 years later. The discovery

of perovskites as solar cell materials was a complete accident. Since

2002, Japan has vigorously developed an organic pigment solar cell technology, but unfortunately failed.

In the experiment, scientists found that although the experiment failed, the perovskite compounds used in it had very strong photoreactivity.

This new discovery has made Japanese scientists excited.

Simply put, solar cells are devices that use the photoelectric effect of semiconductor materials to convert solar energy into electrical energy. The strong photoreactivity of

perovskite compounds makes it possible to become a very good semiconductor material for solar cells.

in the past two decades, although many new materials have emerged in the field of solar cells, they are unable to replace the traditional silicon-based cells due to cost issues, dependence on rare materials and other factors." This also makes silicon-based batteries occupy about 95% of the market share.

Japanese scientists believe that perovskite batteries may challenge the dominance of silicon-based batteries.

This mainly comes from its unique advantages.

First, the energy consumption is relatively low and the pollution is relatively small. Unlike traditional silicon-based solar cells, the production of

perovskite solar cells requires a lot of energy consumption and a lot of fresh water in the production of large-size silicon wafers.

Condly, the manufacturing cost is low.

Because silicon-based batteries are too thin and easy to break, they must be attached to a certain thickness of ." Perovskite batteries use ITO/ITO substrates, so they are very cheap to manufacture. In terms of

manufacturing process, perovskite solar cells are manufactured by solution method, which can be produced by slit coating, printing and blade coating processes, and the investment in production equipment is much smaller than that of traditional silicon-based solar cells.

Perovskite Solar Cell absorbs the advantages of the second generation solar cell very well. The finished product is particularly light, thin and soft, so soft that it can be bent and folded at will. It is not as rigid as silicon-based solar cells in shape." It can only be a monotonous square.

This light and soft characteristic enables perovskite batteries to be attached to the walls of buildings without support, and can also be attached to the outer walls of automobiles, which can be applied in more and wider fields.

It can be seen that the advantages of perovskite batteries are obvious. After

discovering the advantages of perovskite batteries, Japan decided to "seize the opportunity" and gamble.
The Japanese government has invested 2 trillion yen, and Japanese companies are actively involved in the development of the perovskite solar cell industry. In order to commercialize
perovskite solar cells, the first step is to improve the photoelectric conversion rate.
With the joint efforts of Japanese academia and enterprises, the photoelectric conversion rate of perovskite solar cells has increased from 2% to 25%.
This speed of research and development is astonishing, which is equivalent to 40 years for other solar materials, and 10 years for Japan.
In terms of manufacturing process, perovskite solar cells in the research and development stage are basically made by hand, so their performance is very unstable.
In order to eliminate this instability, the team at Tongyin Yokohama University developed an automated perovskite film formation technology.
Japan's Star Power is also involved in the development of perovskite solar cells in 2021." It is unique in the application of low temperature production and organic materials, which greatly reduces the production cost. The team
of Ricoh Group and Tongyin Yokohama University jointly developed the film formation technology of automated perovskite film.
Mitsubishi Materials has made great efforts in the peripheral materials needed for the production of perovskite solar cells, and has carried out research and development on increasing the service life of perovskite solar cells.
At present, the photoelectric conversion rate of perovskite solar cells in Japan is very close to that of traditional silicon-based solar cells, and the production process is gradually mature, which has reached the industrialization level of mass production.
Why gamble on
Japan? Why gamble on perovskite solar cells?
As we all know, for Japan with a small territory, the energy problem has always been the biggest bottleneck restricting Japan's economy.
With the Fukushima nuclear leakage incident during the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan's use of nuclear energy has become particularly stringent, and it can only rely on restarting traditional thermal power generation to maintain the normal operation of the economy.
Data show that fossil energy power generation accounts for more than 60% of Japan's total power generation.
Therefore, Japan has been looking for new energy sources that can replace traditional energy sources." To improve their energy self-sufficiency rate. The raw materials for the production of
perovskite solar cells hardly need to be imported, and if the technology is mature, it is possible for Japan to achieve complete localization.
This is undoubtedly an opportunity for Japan, which is scarce in resources, to gamble on its national fortune.
In addition to energy security, another ambition of Japan is to regain its position as the leader of solar cells.
The solar cell industry first rose in Japan and Germany. Kyocera and Panasonic in Japan were once the leaders of the solar cell industry. The rise of
China's solar cell industry has left Japan's solar cell industry powerless to fight back.
According to GlobalData, about 15 years ago, China's market share was almost zero, but in recent years, it has made rapid progress, accounting for nearly half of the global market share.
Japan wants to shake up the industry with perovskite solar cells." Catch up with China and regain its position as the leader.Will
Japan win the bet?
One is the technical problem.
Perovskite solar cell technology is not perfect, and the biggest problem is the instability of perovskite.
Perovskite is easily affected by oxygen and water, and is easy to age, thus affecting the effective movement of electrons.
In addition, the dissolution of perovskite compounds contains toxic lead components, and a large number of commercial uses may cause damage to the environment. The issue of
environmental protection is also the sword of Damocles hanging over its head.
Second, industrial problems.
Developing technology is only the first step, and realizing industrialization and scale is the most important.
Japan has a limited domestic market and does not have the whole industry chain of solar cells, which determines that its development of perovskite solar cell industry must rely on international cooperation.
At present, Japan has mastered most of the technology of perovskite solar cells, stood at the top of the industrial chain, and cut the biggest piece of cake. It is also doubtful whether
other companies have the incentive to cooperate with them.
Furthermore, silicon-based battery technology is very mature and the ecosystem is very complete.
Perovskite solar cells may not be so easy to replace.
Japan has many world-leading technologies, but it is easy to lose its voice in industrial competition.
A typical example is the new energy electric vehicle industry.
Japan has gambled on hydrogen energy vehicles and mastered more than 60% of the world's hydrogen energy technology patents at one go.
If perovskite solar cells cannot be industrialized, then, I'm afraid Japan has ordered the wrong technology tree again.
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