The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $6 million funding support for Greatcell Solar to accelerate the development of a new printable perovskite solar cell.
Greatcell, which is developing a $17.3 million prototype facility to scale up fabrication of large-area perovskite devices, is looking to commercialise its perovskite solar cells as a potential alternative to conventional silicon solar cell technology.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the technology has the potential to provide lower cost solar PV cells, adding that it can also be applied to building materials such as glass and metal sheeting.
“ARENA is excited to see the further development of Greatcell Solar’s perovskite technology. This has the potential to expand the applications for which solar can be used and to reduce costs,” he said.
“We want to move perovskites closer towards commercialisation. This will help accelerate solar PV innovation in Australia, which is one of our key priorities.”
Greatcell Solar Managing Director Richard Caldwell said the funding support from ARENA will help the company demonstrate that perovskite solar cell technology is ‘a strong candidate for commercialisation’.
“It has the compelling attributes of lower cost and greater versatility than existing PV technologies,” Mr Caldwell remarked.
“In particular, it is suited to real world solar conditions. In the long term, this technology has the potential to provide a cost competitive and clean energy solution.”
