Solar photovoltaic technology has traditionally been installed as a separate component on rooftops, façades or ground-mounted structures. New research from the University of Sheffield, however, points toward a different future—one where the surface of a structure itself could generate solar power.
Researchers are developing spray-coated perovskite solar cells that can be applied directly onto carbon-fibre surfaces, initially targeting high-altitude autonomous aircraft. Announced on 15 September 2026, the project has received £967,714 from the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and is being led by Professor David Lidzey.
Why Weight Matters
High-altitude unmanned aircraft need continuous power while carrying as little additional weight as possible. Conventional silicon solar panels can add significant mass, affecting flight duration and available battery capacity.
According to the University of Sheffield, its spray-coated perovskite solar cells offer a power-to-weight ratio around 30 times greater than conventional silicon technology. Importantly, this refers to power relative to weight—not solar-cell conversion efficiency.
Instead of attaching conventional modules to an aircraft, researchers plan to spray the photovoltaic material directly onto carbon-fibre panels, effectively creating a lightweight “solar skin.”
Beyond Conventional Solar Modules
The concept highlights a potentially important direction for next-generation PV: structural solar.
Perovskites are lightweight and can be processed at relatively low temperatures, while spray deposition potentially enables solar cells to be applied to curved and complex surfaces. This could make PV practical in applications where conventional rigid modules are difficult to deploy.
While aircraft are the project’s immediate focus, the University of Sheffield says the technology could eventually have applications across electric vehicle bodies, building roofs and consumer products.
This suggests that perovskites may not need to compete directly with crystalline silicon in every market. Instead, their lightweight and adaptable characteristics could help create entirely new categories of solar-generating surfaces.
Durability Remains the Key Challenge
Commercialisation, however, will depend heavily on reliability.
Perovskite solar cells can degrade when exposed to moisture, oxygen and heat. Sheffield researchers will therefore work with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Loughborough University to develop ultra-thin protective coatings using glassy and polymeric materials.
The objective is to provide environmental protection without eliminating the technology’s weight advantage.
Flight-testing specialist Limosaero Ltd will subsequently integrate test devices onto active solar-powered aircraft, giving researchers an opportunity to evaluate performance under real operating conditions.
A New Direction for PV?
Spray-coated perovskites are unlikely to displace conventional silicon modules in mainstream solar applications in the near term. Silicon retains major advantages in manufacturing maturity, reliability and established supply chains.
The significance of this research instead lies in expanding where solar cells can be deployed.
If challenges around stability, encapsulation, scalability and long-term performance can be addressed, structural PV could transform previously passive surfaces into electricity-generating assets.
For the solar industry, that represents an interesting shift: the next frontier may not only be about extracting more power from every square metre of a solar panel, but also about turning entirely new surfaces into solar generators.
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