Graphene Solar: Introduction and Market News
What is a solar panel?
Solar panel electricity systems, also known as solar photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy (photons) and convert it into electricity. PV cells are made from layers of semiconducting material, and produce an electric field across the layers when exposed to sunlight. When light reaches the cell, some of it is absorbed into the semiconducting material and causes electrons to break loose and flow. This flow of electrons is an electric current, that can be drawn out and used for powering outside devices. This current, along with the cell’s voltage (a result of built-in electric fields), define the power that the solar cell is capable of producing. It is worth mentioning that a PV cell can produce electricity without direct sunlight, but more sunshine equals more electricity.
A module, or panel, is a group of cells connected electrically and packaged together. several panels can also form an array, which can provide more electricity and be used for powering larger instruments and devices.
Different kinds of Solar cells
Solar cells are roughly divided into three categories: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline and Thin Film. Most of the world’s PVs are based on a variation of silicon. The purity of the silicon, or the more perfectly aligned silicon molecules are, affects how good it will be at converting solar energy. Monocrystalline solar cells (Mono-Si, or single-crystal-Si) go through a process of cutting cylindrical ingots to make silicon wafers, which gives the panels their characteristic look. They have external even coloring that suggests high-purity silicon, thus having the highest efficiency rates (typically 15-20%). They are also space efficient (their efficiency allows them to be small) and live longer than other kinds of solar panels. Alas, they are more expensive than other kinds and tend to be damaged by external dirt or snow.
Polycrystalline silicon (p-Si or mc-Si) solar cells do not go through the abovementioned process, and so are simpler and cost less than Monocrystalline ones. Their typical efficiency is 13-16%, due to lower silicon purity. They are also bigger and take up more space.
Thin-Film solar cells (TFSC), are made by depositing one or several thin layers of photovoltaic material onto a substrate. Different types of TFSCs are categorized by which photovoltaic material is deposited onto the substrate: Amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIS/CIGS), polymer solar panels and organic photovoltaic cells (OPC). Thin-film modules have reached efficiencies of 7-13%. Their mass production is simple, they can be made flexible and are potentially cheaper to manufacture than crystalline-based solar cells. They do, however, take up a lot of space (hampering their use in residential applications) and tend to degrade faster than crystalline solar panels.
Solar power advantages and disadvantages
Solar power is free and infinite, and solar energy use indeed has major advantages. It is an eco-friendly, sustainable way of energy production. Solar energy systems today are also much cheaper than they were 20 years ago, and save money in electricity expenses. In addition, it is a much environmentally cleaner form of energy production that helps reduce global warming and coal pollution. It does not waste water like coal and nuclear power plants and is also considered to be a form of energy that is much safer for use.
Although solar power production is widely considered to be a positive thing, some downsides require mentioning. The initial cost of purchasing and installing solar panels can be substantial, despite widespread government subsidy programs and tax initiatives. Sun exposure is critical and so location plays a significant role in the generation of electricity. Areas that are cloudy or foggy for long periods of time will produce much less electricity. Other commonly argues disadvantages regard insufficiency of produced electricity and reliability issues.
Solar power applications
Common solar energy applications include various residential uses such as solar lighting, heating and ventilation systems. Many small appliances utilize solar energy for operation, like calculators, scales, toys and more. Agriculture and horticulture also employ solar energy for the operation of different aids like water pumps and crop drying machines. The field of transportation has been interested in solar powered vehicles for many years, including cars, planes and boats that are vigorously researched and developed. Solar energy also has various industrial applications, ranging from powering remote locations as well as space and satellite systems, to powering transportation signals, lighthouses, offshore navigation systems and many more.
Solar technologies are vigorously researched, aiming to lower costs and improve existing products as well as integrate PV systems in innovative products like PV-powered curtains, clothes and laptop cases.
Graphene and solar panels
Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. It is a 2 dimensional material with amazing characteristics, which grant it the title “wonder materialâ€. It is extremely strong and almost entirely transparent and also astonishingly conductive and flexible. Graphene is made of carbon, which is abundant, and can be a relatively inexpensive material. Graphene has a seemingly endless potential for improving existing products as well as inspiring new ones.
Solar cells require materials that are conductive and allow light to get through, thus benefiting from graphene's superb conductivity and transparency. Graphene is indeed a great conductor, but it is not very good at collecting the electrical current produced inside the solar cell. Hence, researchers are looking for appropriate ways to modify graphene for this purpose. Graphene Oxide (GO), for example, is less conductive but more transparent and a better charge collector which can be useful for solar panels.
The conductive Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is used with a non-conductive glass layer as the transparent electrodes in most organic solar panels to achieve these goals, but ITO is rare, brittle and makes solar panels expensive. Many researches focus on graphene as a replacement for ITO in transparent electrodes of OPVs. Others search for ways of utilizing graphene in improving overall performance of photovoltaic devices, mainly OPVs, as well as in electrodes, active layers, interfacial layers and electron acceptors.
Commercialization efforts
While graphene-based solar cells are not currently commercially available, some efforts are bearing fruit in regards to the use of graphene in auxiliary aspects of PV. One such example is ZNShine Solar's G12 evolution era series - comprised of a 12-busbar graphene module, 5-busbar graphene module and double-glass graphene module. According to reports, the application of ZS's graphene film layer increases light transmission performance of the glass itself. In addition, Znshine Solar's modules are self-cleaning. In July 2018, ZNShine Solar won the bid to provide 37.5MW of PV modules to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India's largest power generation equipment manufacturer. According to the contract, 10% of the shipment will be graphene-coated solar panels. In June 2019, Znshine Solar announced signing a 100MW graphene-enhanced solar module supply agreement with UAE's Etihad Energy services. Znshine Solar is still active in this field and in 2025, it presented the main highlights of its portfolio at the Intersolar South America event: graphene-coated modules, BIPV technologies and smart energy – storage plus inverter – for all types of installation. In addition, First Graphene is working with Halocell Australia to accelerate solar technology improvements using its graphene-enhanced carbon paste.
Further reading
- Graphene batteries
- Introduction to graphene
- Graphene company database
- How to invest in the graphene revolution
- The Graphene Handbook, our very own guide to the graphene market
APTS‑functionalized reduced graphene oxide boosts perovskite solar cell efficiency
Researchers from Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University and Chung Yuan Christian University have developed an interface-engineering strategy to overcome key efficiency bottlenecks in mesoporous perovskite solar cells by introducing APTS-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (APTS-rGO) into the electron transport structure.
In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was chemically modified using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS), a silane coupling agent with both amine and silane functional groups. This dual functionality enables strong bonding with oxide surfaces such as TiO2 while simultaneously improving compatibility with the perovskite layer.
Graphene-ITO hybrid electrodes boost space solar cell conductivity by 60%
Researchers from Italy's University of Salerno, Warsaw University in Poland and Lithuania's Center for Physical Sciences and Technology have developed graphene - ITO hybrid transparent electrodes aimed at improving charge transport in next-generation multijunction space solar cells.
Multijunction GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells are the dominant photovoltaic technology for space applications, delivering initial efficiencies of around 30% under the AM0 spectrum. These devices rely on stacked p-n junctions with different bandgaps to capture a broader portion of the solar spectrum, but their performance remains constrained by front electrode losses. Transparent conducting oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) are widely used, yet they suffer from an inherent trade-off between electrical conductivity and optical transparency, along with mechanical brittleness. To address these limitations, the researchers introduced a hybrid architecture that integrates monolayer graphene with conventional ITO. Graphene, known for its high carrier mobility and optical transparency, was synthesized via cold-wall chemical vapor deposition and transferred onto pre-patterned, commercially available ITO-coated glass substrates (approximately 100 nm thick) using a thermal release tape method. The goal was to enhance lateral conductivity and charge carrier mobility while preserving the transparency required for efficient light absorption in multijunction devices.
Graphene-CNT phase change material cools solar PVT panels
Researchers from India, Chile and Russia have developed a solar photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) system that uses hybrid graphene - carbon nanotube (CNT) nanoparticles in phase change materials (PCMs) to improve cooling and overall performance. The core idea is to turn the PCM layer into a much more conductive thermal “buffer”, so the PV cells stay cooler while more heat is usefully recovered.
Conventional silicon PV panels convert only about 10-12% of solar radiation into electricity, with the rest turning into heat that raises cell temperature and reduces power output by roughly 0.35% per °C above about 40 °C. PCMs such as stearic acid and paraffin wax can passively limit this temperature rise by absorbing excess heat as latent heat near the PV operating range, but their inherently low thermal conductivity slows heat diffusion and limits effectiveness. To overcome this, the researchers dispersed hybrid graphene - CNT nanoparticles (1:1 wt%) into stearic acid and paraffin wax at 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt%, creating hybrid nano‑PCMs (HNPCMs) with significantly improved internal heat conduction.
Graphene-engineered interfaces enable stable, high-efficiency flexible perovskite solar cells
Researchers from India's CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organization have reported a systematic study on the role of graphene-based interfacial engineering in flexible all-inorganic perovskite solar cells.
The team incorporated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into SnO₂ and TiO₂ electron transport layers, forming graphene-modified metal-oxide interfaces that enhance interfacial conductivity and suppress trap-assisted recombination. This approach also mitigates hysteresis and improves mechanical resilience, contributing to a power conversion efficiency of 19.2% and retention of over 90% efficiency after 1,000 bending cycles at a 5 mm radius.
First Graphene signs exclusive global deal with Halocell Australia for graphene-enhanced paste for perovskite solar cells
First Graphene has announced it has entered an exclusive License Agreement with Halocell Australia to manufacture, market and sell graphene-enhanced carbon paste. The 12-month Agreement gives First Graphene global exclusivity over development and sale of the PureGRAPH® containing product, with Halocell receiving a 10% royalty on sales as well as using the product in manufacturing its commercially available perovskite solar cells (“PSC”).
Graphene-enhanced carbon paste (L); paste layer on a perovskite solar cell (R). Image credit: First Graphene
This is an addition to the existing Joint Development Agreement and Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) Partners Agreement reached in June 2022 and August 2023 respectively. Under the pre-existing CRC-P Partners Agreement, First Graphene and Halocell have successfully investigated and introduced graphene to carbon paste with a focus on fine tuning formulation, concentrations, components and syntheses.
Graphene–silicon solar cells enable battery‑free operation in autonomous sensors
Developing autonomous sensor systems capable of sustained operation without battery dependence is essential for the Internet of Things. A recent study by researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Michigan demonstrates how graphene–silicon solar cells can serve as an efficient and stable power source for an ultra‑low‑energy temperature sensing platform.
Image from: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B
The team fabricated an array of graphene‑based photovoltaic cells, integrated them into standard packages, and characterized their current–voltage behavior under illumination. When connected in series, these cells provided the voltage necessary to charge three independent storage capacitors. Each capacitor reached operational voltage within minutes and subsequently powered the sensor system for more than 24 hours without recharging.
Researchers boost bifacial solar cell performance using graphene-enhanced photoanodes
Researchers from Malaysia have advanced the development of next-generation bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by integrating graphene into a trilayer photoanode configuration to boost both efficiency and stability. The team focused on a titanium dioxide (TiO₂)–based [T/sp-P25-T/sp] stack formation framework, where varying concentrations of graphene (0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) were introduced to optimize electron transport and suppress recombination losses.
Among the tested samples, the photoanode doped with 0.1% graphene achieved the best performance, delivering a combined power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.09% under dual illumination and maintaining 10.31% after ten days of operation. This represents an improvement over undoped TiO₂ structures. Key analytical techniques - including FESEM, EDS, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) - confirmed that graphene was successfully embedded within the anatase TiO₂ matrix without structural compromise.
Researchers gain insights into graphene nanofluid degradation in direct absorption solar collectors
Researchers from PROMES - CNRS, UPVD and LMAP - UPPA have demonstrated how graphene-based nanofluids can significantly enhance the performance of direct absorption solar collectors (DASC), while also revealing the complex stability challenges these fluids face under real operating conditions.
Using a parabolic trough pilot system, the team combined on-sun and off-sun experiments to evaluate both the optical and thermal behavior of graphene-water nanofluids. In controlled environments, the nanofluid maintained stable optical properties for over two and a half months, even when exposed to temperatures up to 80 °C. However, when used under real solar operating conditions in a closed-loop DASC, the nanofluid exhibited notable degradation in optical performance due to changes in pH linked to corrosion within the hydraulic circuit.
Senergy launches new products enhanced with First Graphene's PureGRAPH materials
It was reported that Ireland-based Senergy recently released a range of products including on-roof solar thermal, integrated solar thermal and automotive technologies making use of First Graphene’s PureGRAPH materials. According to a recent statement by First Graphene, Senergy’s polymer heat exchange materials incorporate PureGRAPH.
First Graphene CEO Michael Bell said Senergy’s commercialization of several new material technologies represented “another demonstration of how our product can be used to improve performance across a range of applications. While the Senergy’s orderbook for PureGRAPH is not yet significant, their aspiration to rollout solar thermal technology to 250,000 homes means demand is set to lift.”
Ascent Solar enters agreement with Emtel Energy USA to advance thin-film solar energy
U.S-based Ascent Solar Technologies, focused on the design and manufacturing of lightweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, has announced the signing of a teaming agreement with Emtel Energy USA, a provider of graphene-based electrostatic long duration energy storage (ELDES).
The agreement is intended to achieve mutually beneficial goals that would advance Emtel Energy’s energy storage capabilities and aid the proliferation of thin-film PV solutions in space environments.
