AeroSolar

AeroSolar is a new method to improve manufacturing of perovskite solar panels.

A conventional silicon solar cell will never be able to convert more than a third of the sunlight it captures into electricity. That’s a hard barrier set by the laws of physics. Adding perovskite to create a tandem solar panel will add an additional 10%, a significant increase.

But with over a billion solar panels produced each year, manufacturing perovskite panels at the scale required by this market has so far proved elusive.

Tiny changes in conditions can ruin the delicate chemical layers of perovskite, which can easily develop defects, leaving no room for error. Manufacturers’ attempts to stabilise the material are complex, expensive, and ineffective at scale.

Prof Joe Briscoe has invented a new method called aerosol annealing which ‘heals’ the perovskite material, thereby widening the production window and increasing yield of perovskite manufacturing lines.

The opportunity

1.2 billion solar panels were deployed globally in 2025, expected to rise to 1.6 billion per year by 2035, equivalent to 250 nuclear power stations. Demand for electricity is rising fast, driven by AI datacentres, electric vehicles, and the electrification of everything, everywhere.

New technology catches on fast in the solar industry. The last breakthrough was adopted by 70% of the market in just 2 years, despite only contributing an additional 1-2% efficiency. Perovskite offers 10% extra efficiency, so a reliable manufacturing method is highly sought after.

AeroSolar expects to generate annual recurring revenue exceeding $100 million by selling its equipment directly to tandem perovskite manufacturers and charging a fee for each panel produced.

Commercial testing programs with some of the world’s leading manufacturers have progressed well. Consequently, AeroSolar expects to start negotiations for full-scale equipment for tandem production lines later this year, leading to a seed round in 2027.