Inorganics-in-organics technology improves harvesting for 4G solar energy

The University of Surrey is reporting on a development that “opens the door for more efficient, cost-effective and larger scale solar power generation”.

Professor Ravi Silva, of the university’s Advanced Technology Institute has identified the range of combinations of organic and inorganic materials that will underpin new 4th generation solar cell technology.

According to its report (“New technology to enable development of 4G solar cells”):

The new 4G solar cells defined by Professor Silva are a hybrid that combine the low cost and flexibility of conducting polymer films (organic materials) with the lifetime stability of novel nanostructures (inorganic materials). This ‘inorganics-in-organics’ technology improves the harvesting of solar energy and its conversion into electricity, offering better efficiency than the current 3G solar cells while maintaining their low cost base. In turn, these 3G cells offer significant cost improvements on first and second generation solar cells – based on crystalline and polycrystalline silicon – which are still responsible for over 90% of the solar power being generated today.

Along with a number of notable research institutions, the University of Surrey is part of the European Union FP7 SMARTONICS programme – a €11.6m project led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This project is currently developing the smart machines, tools and processes for large-scale production of 4G solar cells, using roll-to-roll printing technology for high throughput and cost-efficient fabrication.

Professor Ravi Silva outlined the new 4G technology in a keynote address at the 10th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NN13). He said: “These new generation materials for solar cells have been truly engineered at the nanoscale. They are designed to maximise the harvesting of solar radiation, and thereby efficiently generate electricity.”

The university also highlights the falling cost of solar electricity. In many parts of the world, he maintained, it now competes with grid electricity in terms of cost, and since it requires less infrastructure, solar power can also be used in areas where conventional electricity is not an option.

You can find Professor Silva’s 4G solar cell review article in the Nanoscale journal (DOI: 10.1039/C3NR02733C).