The dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) was invented in 1991 by Michael Gratzel and Brian O’Regan. Michael Gratzel has since been awarded the prestigious 2010 Millennium Prize for his work. It utilises a process that emulates the photosynthesis used by plants to generate power directly from sunlight. But it is only in recent years that development has reached the stage where practical applications are possible.
Low Cost Solar Power Source Using Nanomaterial
An important advantage of DSSCs is that they are much less expensive to produce than silicon based solar cells. They use easily obtained nanomaterials whereas conventional solar cells need high purity silicon which is costly to produce. With the low energy conversion rates achievable by such cells the cost of the energy produced is much greater than conventional energy production methods. (A Tiwari, Recent Trends in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Technology, 15 March 2010, accessed 5 July 2010.)
The Irish company SolarPrint was established to develop this third generation solar cell technology for applications across a variety of industries. In July 2010 University College Dublin announced that the company is to join UCD, Trinity College Dublin and Imperial College, London in a research project with Italian car maker Fiat. It is hoped that the result will be a sun roof that, when installed in a motor vehicle, will generate sufficient power to drive on-board systems.
Reduced Carbon Emissions
The project is called SMARTOP and is expected to reduce the carbon emissions from a motor vehicle on which the “smart” sun roof is installed by 15% compared to an equivalent vehicle without the technology. That’s according to Mr Lambertini, New Scouting Materials and Nanomaterials, Centro Richerche Fiat.
Dr Mazhar Bari, a physics graduate from University College Dublin, who founded SolarPrint with two colleagues, believes that the project has the potential to “revolutionise the auto industry and the cars that we drive, by converting everyday light into a form of power.” The project has secured €3million of European Commission funding and the enthusiastic support of the Irish government.
The Search for Alternative Sources of Energy Intensifies
“As a country and as a Government, we need to do all we can to continue to support Irish, globally focused firms, like SolarPrint, as they develop closer links with major international enterprises,” explained Conor Lenihan TD, Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation, speaking at the launch of the project in Dublin. (UCD News, 2 July 2010 accessed 4 July 2010.) Such support has already been signalled by previous announcements concerning electric vehicles.
As global warming intensifies and the environmental cost of recovering oil increases major enterprises throughout the world are seeking alternative sources of energy. Next generation technologies like DSSC, in conjunction with compact lithium batteries offer the possibility of vehicles in which at least some of the power required to keep them operating comes directly from the sun.
Frank Parker - Frank writes regularly on a diverse range of subjects which he researches thoroughly.
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