Panasonic begins commercial sales of glass-based perovskite solar panels

Panasonic Holdings has announced that it will begin commercial sales of its glass-based perovskite solar panels in September 2026. The company says this timeline is ahead of its original schedule. According to Panasonic, the move marks the start of commercial activities for the new technology.

The company plans to launch full-scale mass production in April 2029.

Perovskite solar cells are a type of photovoltaic technology that uses a perovskite-structured compound as the light-harvesting active layer.

Production Timeline

Panasonic initially set its production launch for fiscal year 2030 but has moved up the schedule to begin commercial sales in September 2026. Pre-production manufacturing is currently active at the Panasonic HD development site in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture. Full-scale mass production is slated for the Nagahama facility, with an anticipated start date of April 2029.

Technical Specifications

• Early prototype units measure 1.8 m × 1.0 m, incorporating glass assemblies of either 3+3 mm or 6+6 mm.
• In full-scale manufacturing, panel sizes expand to a peak of 1.8 m × 1.2 m.
• The production lineup introduces 4+4 mm and 5+5 mm glass thicknesses, complementing the established 3+3 mm and 6+6 mm setups.
• Fabrication relies on inkjet coating, laser processing, and glass encapsulation methods.

Standards and Efficiency

Panasonic’s glass-based perovskite modules are designed to comply with Japanese building standards, IEC 61730 safety requirements, and IEC 62790 specifications for perovskite photovoltaic devices.

In terms of performance, the company reported a module efficiency of 16.09% for a 2020 prototype. By 2023, Panasonic had achieved a device-level efficiency of 18.1%, indicating progress in the underlying cell technology. While these figures demonstrate the potential of the material, specific commercial metrics such as rated power output, temperature coefficients, service life, and pricing remain undisclosed.

Policy Context

In September 2025, Panasonic HD secured a Green Innovation Fund project from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a government-led effort to aid the commercial launch of advanced solar technologies. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) targets 20 GW of perovskite solar capacity by 2040. To achieve this, METI intends to lower costs to JPY 14 ($0.09) per watt by 2030, with a further reduction to JPY 10 per watt by 2040. Additionally, the Ministry of the Environment proposes removing silicon solar panels from subsidy eligibility beginning in fiscal 2027, a regulatory change that could reshape the competitive dynamics for alternative technologies.

What to watch

For readers tracking Panasonic’s perovskite rollout, the next concrete milestone is the April 2029 start of full-scale mass production at the Nagahama facility. This follows the current pre-production phase at the Moriguchi development site, where units are still limited to 1.8 m × 1.0 m dimensions. The transition to Nagahama will introduce larger panels, expanding to a maximum of 1.8 m × 1.2 m. As noted in an earlier report, this shift marks the move from the original fiscal year 2030 timeline to the accelerated 2029 schedule. Watch for confirmation that the larger panel dimensions are now standard in commercial shipments, as this physical change distinguishes mass-produced units from current pre-production models.