China to be source of low cost dye solar cell materials for power accessories

Sara Ver-Bruggen - 24 Feb 2010

UK producer G24 Innovations (G24i) aims to supply solar cells based on advanced materials, developed in China, later this year for the power accessories market.

The Wales-based start-up signed an agreement with three Chinese R&D institutes in late 2009 to establish a source of dye solar cell (DSC) materials with improved efficiencies. A crucial aim of the partnership is to develop DSC chemicals with a lower bill of materials, says G24i CEO John Hartnett.

G24i signed the agreement with China National Academy of Nanotechnology & Engineering (CNANE), in Tianjin, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), which is part of the China Academy of Sciences, and the Nanotechnology Industrialisation Base of China (NIBC) in November 2009.

'Primarily this is a relationship to advance materials manufacturing - we are aiming for significant cost reductions of greater than 50% - and improving materials performance and quality, especially in the area of efficiencies,' says Hartnett.

The materials will be solely for G24i to use in the production of DSCs for power accessories, where the cells will be optimised to harvest power in cloudy and conditions other than direct sun. The institutes will develop materials that can be used to make cells that ultimately work best indoors, to exploit the potential for renewable power for electronics in the home and office.

Supplementary power

G24i's first customer to use its solar cells in a product is Mascotte Industrial Associates, a Hong Kong-based supplier of bags to leading brands globally.

Bags and other accessories integrated with solar cells can be used to provide supplementary power for smartphones and other consumer electronics. Hartnett believes DSC technology has a significant role to play in the coming years as part of a hybrid power solution for consumer electronics.

'Electronic cars have been talked about for over 20 years, but the first come to market - the Toyota Prius - was a hybrid.

As DSC technology advances and improves cells will become more integrated into electronics, but for now there is opportunity to work with companies such as Mascotte to make new accessories that can meet some of the charging needs of electronics', he says, adding the strategic importance of China.

'While new consumer electronics development is often done in Silicon Valley, production happens in Taiwan, China and other parts of Asia. We're taking an "Intel" approach. Our technology could be used with all different devices, but to do this we are partnering with some of the large OEM companies and suppliers - and China has the capacity to supply the world.'