Building and automotive signify main opportunities for DSSCs

Sara Ver-Bruggen - 26 Apr 2010

Construction and automotive were identified as key markets for dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC) during the first webinar about the technology and its commercial potential.

In each market DSSCs - a class of emerging solar cell technology - could not only replace current applications served by crystal and thin-film silicon, but also engender new opportunities for renewable solar power.

Buildings

For construction, the main target markets for DSSCs are steel roofing, cladding, windows and non-view - or spandrel - glass. That is according to Gavin Tulloch, CEO of Dyesol, who presented the webinar, which was organised and hosted by IntertechPira with +Plastic Electronics.

The world flat glass market for buildings could achieve an output of some 6.1 billion m² by the end of this year end, while the coated steel market, for roofing and cladding, accounts for 1 billion m² of product.

As part of plans to commercialise DSSC materials in these construction segments, Dyesol has partnered with glass supplier Pilkington North America and Corus Steel, which produces coated steel for roofing and cladding.

DSSCs can offer an alternative to silicon where light is more diffuse, hence their potential in building windows and facades where performance is less sensitive to the angle of incidence.

Cars

These features mean DSSCs could have a much greater impact on the future car industry than silicon has achieved.

Tulloch described a series of products that will come out over the next 10 years for the automotive market, including internal solar blinds and solar cells integrated onto interior surfaces to function as sensors. These reduce the need for cable runs in a car, as well as glass sunroofs and windows.

'Windows are one application no other solar technology can address, because they are not transparent and they don't like the angles. As a contact at a German automotive company said, "You can't always face your car 30° south"'.

Other applications include external sensors on the car structure. Tulloch adds: 'Ultimately the whole car body for range extension in the next generation of hybrid automobiles, which is the direction that all automotive makers are moving towards.'

DSSCs also lend themselves to consumer electronics and indoor applications, as the cell materials and components can be tuned for indoor lighting conditions.

As efforts to cut carbon consumption increase, consumers are more likely to pay a premium for greener buildings, cars, appliances and electronics. Compared with silicon, DSSC modules could take half the time to pay back the energy used in their production in terms of the electricity they generate.

The heavily subscribed to webinar finished with many questions. Some focused on the technical and performance aspects of DSSCs, including alternative semiconductor materials for the cells and work on solid-state electrolytes, which Dyesol is addressing through a partnership with the chemicals producer Merck KgaA. The Germany-based company is developing ionic liquids for electrolytes, to enable both rigid and flexible DSSC cell formats.