Oxford University spin-out Oxford Photovoltaics has received £650,000 funding to take its solid-state dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) applications to pilot production.
US-UK investment firm MTI Partners led the investment round in the firm, which is developing a process for screen-printing clear solar cells onto glass.
David Ward, managing partner and head of cleantech investing at MTI, says: 'We've been analysing the PV sector for a while and the opportunities seemed to be either big players in generation, which are heavily dependent on governmental subsidy, or organic PV companies that are working through the processing challenges flexible substrates entail.'
He adds that Oxford Photovoltaics is taking a measured approach and says that company should be ready for pilot production in 18 months.
The financing was led by MTI through the UMIP Premier Fund (UPF) alongside investment from Parkwalk EIS Technology Fund 1, the World Gold Council and a number of angel investors.
Construction glass
Ward says the funding should take Oxford Photovoltaics through its early commercial phases. Talks are already underway with potential partners to commercialise the technology in the construction glass industry, where already several partnerships between solar cell developers and glass producers are working to bring to market BIPV glass. These include the DyeTec in the US, a venture between Pilkington North America and Dyesol.
The company, led by CEO Kevin Arthur, is commercialising technology developed by founder and chief scientific officer Henry Snaith.
Oxford Photovoltaics is the second recent deal that MTI has concluded through ISIS Innovation, Oxford University's technology transfer agency.
The next issue of +Plastic Electronics magazine is a displays special, with a series of articles on the latest technologies and emerging markets for printed and organic displays.
To sign up for your copy immediately, click the link below, contact publications@pira-international.com or visit our subscriptions page.
Documents and links
-
Subscribe to +Plastic Electronics magazine
Subscribe to +Plastic Electronics magazine, published six times a year, for just £100/€110/$160. Find out more here
External Link
-
Oxford Photovoltaics
The UK start-up is creating dye-sensitised solar cells that can be manufactured more cheaply than existing thin-film technologies
External Link
-
Dye solar firm launches energy harvesting products with Texas Instruments
Welsh dye-sensitised solar cell firm G24 Innovations is launching a nano-power energy harvesting product range in a strategic development agreement with semiconductor firm Texas Instruments
External Link
-
UK organic solar cell project to get more funding
A project in the UK with the aim of proving the feasibility of polymer semiconductor-based solar cells should win financing from private sources in the next few months
External Link
-
The Future of Flexible and Thin-Film PVs
Technology forecasts to 2019, published by IntertechPira
External Link