New Recycling Method Makes Perovskite PV Cells Sustainable

Perovskite photovoltaics have emerged as a new solar energy technology, offering high efficiency and low-cost manufacturing compared to traditional silicon-based counterparts. However, sustainability concerns – such as toxicity, limited recycling options, and resource depletion – pose significant challenges to their widespread adoption.

A new study published in Nature by researchers from Cornell University and Linköping University in Sweden introduced a scalable, aqueous-based method to recycle perovskite solar cells, offering an environmentally friendly solution that minimizes end-of-life waste while maintaining performance.

“This study provides a sustainable path forward for perovskite photovoltaics,” said Fengqi You, the Roxanne E. and Michael J. Zak Professor in Energy Systems Engineering and senior author of the study. “By using an aqueous-based process, we can effectively recover key materials, minimize hazardous waste, and promote circularity in the solar industry.”

Unlike conventional recycling methods that rely on toxic solvents or energy-intensive processes, the green-solvent-based recycling strategy developed in the study selectively dissolves degraded perovskites. The recovered materials, including high-quality perovskite crystals, can be reintegrated into new perovskite solar cells without significant efficiency loss.

The research incorporates a comprehensive sustainability analysis, showing that the new recycling method reduces resource depletion by 96.6% and human toxicity impact by 68.8% compared to the landfilling option. Additionally, the levelized cost of electricity – a key metric for economic feasibility – decreases by 18.8% for utility-scale systems and 20.9% for residential systems, demonstrating that the process is both environmentally and economically viable. Among the co-authors of the Nature paper are graduate students Xueyu Tian and Bingzheng Wang from You’s research group, who led the life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of the recycling approach

As part of broader efforts to ensure the sustainability of perovskite solar technology, a perspective published in the January 2025 issue of Energy & Environmental Science as the front cover article was led by Tian and You. This perspective, co-authored with a group of leading experts in perovskite solar energy materials, examines the long-term challenges and opportunities for sustainability analysis of scalable perovskite photovoltaics.

Beyond developing new recycling technologies, You, who is also the director of the Cornell AI for Sustainability Initiative (CAISI), emphasizes the importance of integrating sustainability frameworks into the perovskite solar industry. By combining technological advancements with holistic sustainability analytics, these efforts aim to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and industrial applications.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Sciences, LLC., via Cornell University’s Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Program, which You co-leads. The project also benefited indirectly from the Zak Family Seed Fund in Energy Systems Engineering, established by Michael Zak ’75.