Dye solar cells target 14% lab efficiencies

Sara Ver-Bruggen - 15 Sep 2010

An EU-funded project is aiming to develop dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) in the lab with 14% efficiencies, preparing them for commercially viable performance.

The efficiencies will be achieved by fundamental materials research and work on the cell structure.

The aim of the ROBUST DSC project is to feed the breakthroughs in the lab, or champion, cells into a scalable process that can be developed for commercial production of cells, to result in devices of 7% efficiencies. This efficiency would make the cells applicable in many large-area building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and other commercial applications.

ROBUST DSC is using low-cost materials, scalable manufacturing techniques, predictive device models and indoor and outdoor lifetime testing.

Partners

The project ends in early 2011. The consortium partners include 3GSolar in Israel, and G24 Innovations (G24i) in Wales. Both are DSSC developers committed to large-scale production efforts, though the substrates being used in the project are glass and G24i has installed a process for making DSSCs on flexible substrates. Glass maker Corning is contributing its knowledge in inorganic frits for sealing glass.

3G Solar spoke to +Plastic Electronics in August about its plans for DSSCs that could be used in outdoor, large-area applications like BIPV, following new investment in the company and the employment of new materials.

Three research institutes, including the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems, will provide expertise in the field of long-term testing, scale-up and module fabrication.

The four academic partners, which include Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Imperial College London, are carrying out fundamental research on cell function and modeling.

The results will be shared among the partners to help advance the development of dye cells for commercial markets.

The €5.3 million, three-year project has received just under €4 million from the EU Seventh Framework funding programme.

+Plastic Electronics Volume 3, issue 2, will include a series of special features on the commercialisation of dye-sensitised solar cells. The magazine will also be appearing at the forthcoming 4th International Conference on the Industrialisation of Dye Solar Cells, 1-4 November 2010.
To subscribe in time for the next issue, visit our subscriptions page. For more information, email Editor Dan Rogers at daniel.rogers@pira-international.com.