Japanese plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemical, which recently invested in a 100 MW perovskite solar production plant, has announced its latest demonstration project at two sites owned by Japan’s MUFG Bank. The project aims to increase awareness of practical applications of perovskite solar PV technology and further verify its durability, weather resistance and performance.
Japanese plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemical has announced that it will collaborate with Japan’s Bank of Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG Bank), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, to conduct two perovskite panel demonstrations at two bank-owned locations.
Sekisui, which recently announced the commissioning of a 100 MW perovskite solar cell production line, said the project aims both to raise awareness of practical applications of perovskite solar PV technology and to further verify its durability, weather resistance and performance.
A spokesperson for the company said this pv magazine that there are two installations, one located at MUFG Bank Oi Branch, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, with perovskite solar panels installed behind glass windows at the entrance to power an outdoor notice board, while the other is a rooftop installation of MUFG Global Learning Center in Nishi-ku, Yokohama City, where perovskite modules are installed alongside conventional silicon solar panels.
Sekisui Chemical says it will use the demonstration to verify effectiveness and challenges, as does MUFG Bank. The bank also stated that the experience could be used to substantiate its support for the market introduction of the technology.
This is the latest in a number of urban demonstration projects in Japan, initiated by Sekisui Chemical, since announcing the possibility of producing perovskite thin-film solar panels. It has a number of projects with various partners at locations in Japan dealing with a variety of weather conditions and configuration requirements, including agrivoltaics, as well as a collaboration on perovskite solar cell technology with the Slovak Ministry of Economy.
Sekisui Chemical reiterated in the announcement that it is developing a new 30cm wide roll-to-roll manufacturing process for perovskite solar panels with an initial energy generation efficiency of 15.0% and an outdoor durability equivalent to 10 years. At the same time, work is being done to improve sustainability, the efficiency of energy generation and scaling up to track widths of 1 meter.
At the end of November, The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said it plans to deploy about 20 GW of new PV systems based on perovskite solar cell technology by 2040.
The ministry said it also plans to support Japanese manufacturers in the production of perovskite solar panel technologies in the future.
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