On October 20, Panasonic Holdings announced that it will move up
full-scale mass production of its glass perovskite solar cells
from the originally planned fiscal 2030 to April 2029.
Production will take place at a mass production technology development site
under construction in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture.
Ahead of this, the company began selling early mass-produced products
in September 2026.
The Announcement: Advancing Early Sales and Full-Scale Production Plans Separately
The early mass-produced products are made at the company’s development site
in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture,
and the company is building up installation and operational know-how
through deployments with customers.
Going forward, it will establish mass production technology at the Nagahama site
while building the market with the early mass-produced products in parallel.
This announcement concerns a plan to bring forward the start of full-scale production;
mass production has not yet begun at the Nagahama site.
In September 2025, the company was selected for NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project
and has been developing mass production and installation technologies.
It says it decided to move up the plan in light of progress in technology development,
growing market expectations, and policy support.
What Changes: Turning Windows and Walls, Not Just Roofs, into Places to Generate Power
The company envisions use as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)
built into the windows and exteriors of buildings.
Some buildings in urban areas have limited roof space for solar panels,
and the company aims to generate power in places
that have not been fully used until now.
A key feature is the ability to adjust size, light transmittance, and design
by combining materials technology, inkjet coating, and laser processing.
Because building materials also require harmony with the building,
ease of installation, and long-term durability in addition to power generation,
the company is working to ensure performance as a building material
through materials and glass encapsulation technologies.
Verifying Production and Installation Together: Development with AGC and Others
The related development structure was described
in an official announcement in November 2025.
Panasonic Holdings serves as the lead company,
with AGC and Panasonic Environmental Engineering participating,
in a project under NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund.
The project period runs up to five years, from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2029.
Panasonic Holdings is responsible for stabilizing quality,
including module output and reliability,
and optimizing mass production processes.
Demonstrations are also planned mainly at public and commercial facilities,
to verify installation methods and operational performance in actual buildings.
The plan is to test the technology for manufacturing in factories
and the technology for installing and using the cells in buildings in parallel.
AGC, which has more than 20 years of experience
with building-integrated photovoltaics,
will support installation, including structural design and quality assurance.
Panasonic Environmental Engineering will support design and installation
using its expertise in building facades and glass and in electrical systems,
and both companies will feed knowledge from the demonstrations back into development.
LC Signal’s Perspective: Turning Power-Generating Glass into a Product Usable in Buildings
The company is preparing for full-scale production in Nagahama
while gaining installation and operational experience
through deployments of early mass-produced products.
Companies responsible for installing glass and electrical equipment
have also joined the development.
As an effort that covers not only power generation performance
but also how the cells are integrated into buildings,
we will watch what insights emerge from the early deployments.
Key Sources
-
Panasonic Holdings official announcement (Japanese), October 20, 2026:
パナソニックHD、ガラス型ペロブスカイト太陽電池の本格量産計画を一年前倒し、2029年4月より長浜拠点で生産開始
(Panasonic HD moves up its full-scale mass production plan
for glass perovskite solar cells by one year,
starting production at the Nagahama site in April 2029) -
Official announcement on the development structure (Japanese), November 14, 2025:
グリーンイノベーション基金事業で「ガラス型ペロブスカイト太陽電池の量産技術開発とフィールド実証」に着手
(Launch of “Mass Production Technology Development and Field Demonstration
of Glass Perovskite Solar Cells” under the Green Innovation Fund Project)
This article was prepared with AI assistance using publicly available information
as of October 21, 2026.
Announcement dates follow the dates shown on the official pages.
Sales of early mass-produced products are distinguished
from full-scale mass production planned for April 2029.
The description of the development structure refers to
the official announcement from November 2025.
“LC Signal’s Perspective” reflects this publication’s interpretation
of the available information.