Photo/Illutration A newly developed system made this perovskite solar panel, seen here in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture on Oct. 2. (Ryo Sasaki)

TSUKUBA, Ibaraki Prefecture--A research institution here has developed the world’s first automated manufacturing equipment to create next-generation perovskite solar cell panels.

Officials at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) say the equipment speeds up the process and improves the quality of the perovskite solar panels.

The panels have conventionally been made manually.

Perovskite cells, also known as “flexible solar cells,” are lightweight and thin. They can be used at locations, such as rooftops or curved walls, where it would be difficult to install conventional silicon solar cells.

Moreover, perovskite solar cells can generate power even when it is cloudy. They could become a key instrument in efforts to curb global warming.

Perovskite cells, however, have their own shortcomings. For example, they are not as durable as silicon solar cells.

The quality of perovskite products varies depending on a number of factors, including the component ratios of iodine, lead, organic matter and other raw materials. The temperature to which it is heated can also affect quality.

Many trial products have been created to determine combinations that offer higher power generation efficiency and durability. That process, however, has been done manually, so it is time-consuming and results in considerably variable quality.

To resolve these problems, AIST researchers developed a system comprising multiple devices for manufacturing solar cells under designated conditions.

The system can automate all processes, including cleaning the glass surface of a substrate, applying a liquid raw material on it, and flattening crystals.

It can manufacture more than 10 times as many panels a day than the number produced through manual work.

The new system also reduces the variability in quality by about 35 percent, the officials said.

“We hope to help shorten the development period by using our equipment to efficiently make products with high precision and offering them for tests,” said Takuro Murakami, head of the AIST’s Organic-Inorganic Hybrid PV Team.