Perovskite start-up Oxford PV is developing a pilot-line in Germany that will brings its cells closer to commercialisation.

The firm recently raised £8.7 million in series C funding and has wasted no time in continuing its technology’s journey from lab to fab.

The company has purchased the former Bosch Solar CIS thin-film site in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. It expects the facility to be operational within months. Staff recruitment has already begun with the region’s solar expertise a major attraction to the British start-up.

“We are delighted to have secured this site which will allow us to drive quickly towards market deployment,” said Frank Averdung, CEO, Oxford PV. “The facility is a first-class resource and was made even more attractive to us by the availability of a highly-skilled and experienced workforce locally.”

“Perovskite has the potential to radically improve the efficiency of solar PV and meet the world’s energy demand into the future,” he added.

The cells will feature a perovskite layer on top of a standard c-Si cell. The pilot line will bring the company’s technology up to industry standard size.