You may have seen headlines claiming solar paint can turn any wall into a power station. In 2026 there is no paint you can buy, roll onto a wall and wire up to power your home. “Solar paint” is a label used for several different research ideas, all still in the laboratory or at an early pilot stage.
If you want solar power for a property today, the real options are ordinary rooftop panels, lightweight panels, in-roof systems and solar tiles. Before getting to those, it helps to understand what the “paint” research actually is and why it is not a product.
How solar paint technology works
When researchers talk about spray-on solar or solar coatings, they rarely mean a single liquid that does everything. The term covers three quite different ideas.
Spray-coated solar cell layers
The closest thing to photovoltaic “paint” is spraying one layer of a solar cell. In August 2014 the University of Sheffield, in Professor David Lidzey’s group, reported the first perovskite solar cells made by spray-painting the light-absorbing layer, reaching up to 11% efficiency. The perovskite was sprayed in air with little wasted material, and the team saw it as a step towards roll-to-roll manufacturing.
The detail often lost in the headlines is that only one layer was sprayed. The cell still needed transparent and metal electrodes, other charge-transport layers and protection from moisture. Spraying is a way of making cells in a factory, not a paint for householders.
For comparison, the best certified perovskite cell today reaches 28.0%, set by Hainan University in February 2026 on a cell of about 0.05 cm². Records like that are made with careful laboratory processes on tiny areas, not with a spray gun on a house.
Hydrogen-producing paint
A second idea makes fuel rather than electricity. In June 2017 researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, led by Dr Torben Daeneke, reported in ACS Nano a paint combining synthetic molybdenum sulphide, which absorbs moisture from the air, with titanium oxide, the white pigment in ordinary paint. In sunlight, it splits water vapour into hydrogen and oxygen.
It produces hydrogen, not electricity. No output rate or efficiency was reported, and we found no sign of it becoming a commercial product since. It remains a lab concept, closer in spirit to artificial photosynthesis than to a solar panel.
Quantum dot inks
Colloidal quantum dots, tiny semiconductor crystals, can be printed or sprayed as inks. The best certified quantum dot cell reached 19.1% on a 0.12 cm² cell (UNIST, South Korea, March 2023). Quantum dot solar cells are still lab-only.
Real-world examples and UK developers
No consumer solar paint exists, but some UK developers work on printed solar that is closer to the idea.
Power Roll, in County Durham, is developing a lightweight, flexible solar film. Microgrooves embossed on a plastic (PET) sheet are filled with perovskite in a roll-to-roll printing process, and the company has a pilot manufacturing plant in County Durham. It received £250,000 from the Finance Durham Fund in 2020 and raised £2.5 million in 2021, and it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the packaging firm Amcor. Its chief executive has said the film could cover “billions of square meters of rooftops” too weak for heavy silicon panels. We could not find published efficiency or sales figures.
Oxford PV, in Oxford, makes perovskite-on-silicon tandem panels, which are rigid panels rather than paint. On 11 September 2024 it made its first commercial shipment, of 24.5%-efficient panels, to a US customer.
The University of Sheffield’s spray-coating research, described above, is the third UK strand.
What the numbers say
Separate lab records from what a sprayed coating has achieved. Sheffield’s sprayed cells reached 11% in 2014. The 28% perovskite record was set on a cell of about 0.05 cm² using careful laboratory methods.
Durability is a bigger problem than efficiency. Perovskites degrade when exposed to moisture and oxygen unless they are sealed (encapsulated). Outdoor tests of encapsulated perovskite-silicon tandem cells have so far run for about a year: one at KAUST in Saudi Arabia kept more than 80% of its starting efficiency, according to a 2023 report. A roof in the UK needs a product that lasts decades outdoors, and that has not been demonstrated.
There is also no cost data. With no product on sale, there is no evidence that solar paint would be cheaper than panels.
Limitations and honest assessment
Several practical barriers stand between a coating and a working power system.
- Protection. A light-absorbing coating has to be sealed against moisture and oxygen; perovskites in particular break down without encapsulation.
- Wiring. Every painted area would still need electrodes and wiring to an inverter. Paint on brick or render cannot provide these.
- Light. North-facing walls, shaded walls and interiors get little sunlight, so output there would be small whatever the technology.
- Reflective coatings are different. A coating sold to reflect the sun’s heat off a roof is a cooling product. It does not generate electricity. Reflective surfaces have their own role, explained in our piece on albedo and how it cools the planet.
Grand ideas for turning everyday surfaces into generators have stumbled before; solar roadways are one example.
What to buy instead in the UK
This section is general information, not advice. Costs depend on the home, the roof and the installer, so get quotes and check current rules on GOV.UK or with an MCS-certified installer.
Conventional rooftop panels. According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s solar PV cost data (published 28 May 2026, based on MCS records for Great Britain), the median cost in 2025/26 was £1,595 per kW for installations up to 4 kW and £1,546 per kW for 4-10 kW. At the median, a 4 kW system works out at about £6,400. Costs fell 7% (up to 4 kW) and 9% (4-10 kW) in real terms on the year before. The data covered a record 264,742 installations in 2025/26, 27% more than the previous year. The same data show that small systems on new-build homes cost less per kW than retrofits.
VAT. Under HMRC’s VAT Notice 708/6, installing solar panels in homes is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, returning to 5% from 1 April 2027. Batteries have qualified since 1 February 2024.
Building-integrated PV (BIPV). If looks matter, in-roof panels (which replace tiles and sit flush), solar slates and tiles, and solar glass are real products you can buy today and can be MCS-certified.
Lightweight panels. Lightweight and flexible panels are sold for weak roofs, boats and vans.
To be paid for exported electricity under the Smart Export Guarantee you will normally need an MCS-certified installation; check Ofgem’s current rules. For a broader introduction, see our guide to how solar power works.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar paint available to buy in the UK?
No. In 2026 there is no paint you can apply to a building to generate electricity. The technology is at the research or early pilot stage.
What is the difference between solar paint and BIPV?
“Solar paint” describes spray-coated or ink-based layers that are still experimental. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are products such as in-roof panels, solar slates, tiles and solar glass that replace parts of the building and are on sale now.
Can I paint my interior walls to generate power?
No. Interiors receive far too little sunlight to produce meaningful electricity, and there is no paint that would do it anyway.
How efficient are sprayed solar cells?
The University of Sheffield’s sprayed perovskite cells reached up to 11% in 2014. Perovskite lab records are much higher, 28.0% in 2026, but those come from tiny cells made with careful laboratory methods.
Is solar paint better than solar panels?
There is nothing to compare yet. Solar panels are a mature product with published costs; solar paint is not a product at all.
How much does solar paint cost?
There is no consumer product, so there is no price. For comparison, DESNZ data put the median cost of a home system of up to 4 kW at £1,595 per kW in 2025/26.