Verde Technologies, a startup from the U.S. state of Vermont, has announced plans for the commercial use in space of the perovskite solar panels it has developed. Previously, the company proposed using them on Earth and offered them to the U.S. military.
Verde Technologies’ New Strategy
Verde Technologies will build its commercial strategy for the solar panels it has developed around installing them on commercial spacecraft. This was reported by spacenews.com. The company recently changed its leadership. Chad Miller, its founder, will now become chief technology officer. He has been replaced as CEO by Jean-Paul Poirier, the former head of Honeywell.
Perovskite is a natural but fairly rare mineral on Earth — calcium titanate — containing a large number of various impurities. It is a special type of semiconductor and since 2013 has been considered a key component of next-generation solar panels: cheap, powerful, and, most importantly, environmentally friendly.
Verde Technologies has been developing such panels since 2021. Previously, the company planned to use them in commercial projects on Earth. In addition, it offered perovskite solar panels to the U.S. military, but was unable to attract their interest. Now, however, the company wants to focus specifically on private space.
Why Space
According to representatives of Verde Technologies, the company had previously considered offering its panels to commercial space companies. At the time, however, it concluded that the market was not yet ready for such activity. Now the moment has come to reconsider that view.
According to the company, space gives solar panels unique opportunities to demonstrate their advantages. Among all similar elements, they have the best power-to-weight ratio and high radiation resistance. On the other hand, commercial space projects are designed for relatively short operating periods — up to five years.
This is precisely what has hindered the introduction of these batteries on Earth. Ground-based stations must operate for at least 30 years, and perovskite panels still have certain problems in this respect. That is why Verde Technologies will focus specifically on commercial space. The company believes that, given plans to expand orbital infrastructure, demand for gigawatts of energy in space will grow rapidly in the coming years.
Verde says it has attracted investment from several venture funds and industry veterans, including Steve Bolze, former CEO of GE Power, now GE Vernova after its separation from General Electric, who joined the startup as an adviser in 2024.
