ARDR STORY

Printed power

November 2016 - Printable solar cells designed to cover a wide range of architectural surfaces are on track to be commercialised.
Printable solar cells could reduce our dependence on more traditional sources of electricity.
Image source: Monumentumenergy

CSIRO is partnering with two Australian companies - NSW start-up Solafast and Melbourne printing company Norwood - to get the product ready for the commercial solar market, which in Australia alone is worth around $250 million per year.

The two-year project is supported with $1.6 million through the CRC Projects (CRC-P) initiative.

It will be the culmination of almost a decade of research by the Victorian Organic Solar Cell (VICOSC) Consortium, a research collaboration between CSIRO, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, BlueScope Steel, Innovia Films, Innovia Security and Robert Bosch SEA.

CSIRO: Developing the flexible electronics of the future
from CSIRO on Vimeo.

The project uses 'solar ink cells' that are based on organic photovoltaics and dye-sensitised solar cells, instead of silicon.

According to the consortium, these cells are cheap to produce and can be applied onto plastic films with off-the-shelf printing equipment.

As the coated films are flexible and potentially semitransparent they can be used in a broad range of applications, such as to cover windows, window furnishings, rooftops and even consumer product packaging.

If successful, the two-year project is expected to help slash the cost of solar PV and create an environmentally responsible building material that doesn't compromise architectural integrity.

At present, around 15% of Australian homes have installed domestic solar systems, but the commercial sector remains a largely untapped market, due to expense, safety risk and difficulty of installing current systems.

More information: minister.industry.gov.au
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