China and South Korea are racing to commercialize perovskite-silicon tandem cells that break the 30% efficiency ceiling.
Why it matters
- China still supplies more than 80% of the world’s solar hardware and just posted new tandem efficiency records.
- South Korea is funding a KRW 33.6 billion roadmap that targets 35% cell efficiency by 2030 to feed its AI and semiconductor boom.
Factory realities
China can flip existing gigafactories to tandem stacks fast because it owns every upstream component. Korea counters with semiconductor-grade process control, early BIPV pilots, and the industry’s first certified tandem modules.
Outlook
Watch 2026–2030 pilot lines, durability data, and how quickly the price premium for 30%+ modules shrinks. Efficiency will decide who sets the next decade’s solar standards.