Renewable energy supplier Dyesol has announced that it has been awarded a $449,000 grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The NSW company will use the funding to create a roadmap setting out the necessary steps to commercialise its Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology.
“We are delighted to have reached this agreement with ARENA and look forward to an active and collaborative future for PSC industrialisation in Australia. This project is about capacity building in the Australian PSC space, where world-leading expertise exists in both academia and industry. ARENA’s support will be invaluable in assisting the commercialisation of this rapidly emerging disruptive PV technology and ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of this development,” said Dyesol’s Chief Technical Officer Dr Damion Milliken in an ASX Announcement.
Perovskite was named by Science magazine as one of the renewable energy breakthroughs of 2013.
“Perovskite cells have been demonstrated at laboratory scale but have never before been mass produced. Dyesol will map out the techniques and requirements for working towards scalable manufacturing of high-quality, uniform perovskite cells that achieve efficiency, durability and stability targets. Most current generation solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the market today are made with silicon, but there is growing interest in developing third generation solar technologies such as cells constructed from perovskite,” said acting ARENA CEO Ian Kay.
“Perovskite is abundant and cheaper than silicon and there are signs it may be more adaptable than conventional silicon, providing enhanced performance in low light conditions and being better suited for integration into external building components, such as windows and facades. Ultimately, we hope to see perovskite solar cells deliver a significant breakthrough in cost reduction in the manufacture of solar PV technology, in line with ARENA’s goal of reducing the cost of renewable energy and advancing innovative technologies.”
According to Mr Kay, Dyesol is initially aiming for a delivery cost benchmark of US 10 cents per kWh, putting perovskite solar PV cells on par with current benchmarks achieved by silicon solar PV.
“This would be a considerable achievement given silicon PV’s maturity as a technology, and provides further scope for reduction in the cost of energy as manufacturing volumes grow,” he said.
