Organic photovoltaics: England believes (and invests)

    Organic photovoltaics: England believes (and invests)

    The decision was unanimous: the £ 150.000 check went to the organic photovoltaic project developed by a small company, Oxford Photovoltaics. And so, a few days ago, the Technology Strategy Board and Research UK - one of the British government's research and development organizations - rewarded the effort of those who in the future, perhaps, could revolutionize the photovoltaic energy market applied to buildings. How much potential there is in the choice of the winner is stated by the name of the competition itself: Disruptive Solutions Competition, where Disruptive Solutions stands for “Disruptive” Inventions.



    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    The decision was unanimous: the check from 150.000 pounds was assigned to the project of organic photovoltaics developed by a small company, theOxford Photovoltaics. And so, a few days ago, the Technology Strategy Board and Research Uk - one of the research and development bodies of the British government - has rewarded the effort of those who in the future, perhaps, could revolutionize the market forPhotovoltaics applied to buildings. How much potential there is in the choice of the winner is stated by the name of the competition itself: Disruptive Solutions Competition, dove Disruptive Solutions sta per "Disruptive" Inventions.



    To better understand the novelties of the awarded project, it is first necessary to remember that the organic photovoltaics it is already a novelty in itself, so much so that to date there is no version on the market. It is based, in fact, as the name suggests, not on the "classic" silicon of the solar panels on the market, but on materials of organic origin, and this - in the face of significant advantages in terms economic and availability - still entails enormous difficulties, such as the stabilization and longevity of the materials used.

    Just the difficulties that the Oxford Photovoltaics tried to solve. How? With a technique similar to the serigraphy: The screen-printing. In practice, the Photovoltaic cells are "printed" directly on the application surface, and this thanks to themetal oxide (solid state) immersed in organic dye (in the liquid state) and used as conduttore. Explains Henry Snaith, one of the researchers involved: this process pays off a lot easier processing: You don't have to worry about encapsulating and sealing, a fundamental problem in dye-based electrolytic cells.

    Electrolytic cells to dye that are therefore affected by the passage of time, as the dye itself corrodes the circuits. If those designed so far have an average lifespan of 2-3 years, those awarded by the TSBR, thanks to the metal oxide, could even compete with current standards. For now the cells of the Oxford Photovoltaics will applied to the glasses, giving them a slight color that will depend precisely on the type of dye. In the future, the application on other materials, such as rolled steel, is being considered. The goal is easily understood: to revolutionize thesustainable building.



    Roberto Zambon

    Fonte: Fast Company

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