Project: 10 % Efficient Dye Solar Cells

Solar energy has the potential to provide the world with clean renewable energy, and solar cells is a very fast growing market. The third-generation solar cell technology, dye-sensitised solar cells (DSC), are simple to make and can be produced with low investments and production costs. _x000D__x000D_DSC also perform well in shady, cloudy and variable lighting, making them suitable for all climate zones and even indoors applications. This enables DSC to be used for applications where traditional solar cells are not practical._x000D__x000D_Around 2 billion people live without access to electricity, most of them in areas with very good solar conditions. Electrification provides major economic benefits, but development is slow wherever large investments are required. The market needs low cost and simple manufacture in small production lines requiring little skill and small investments. DSC is the leading emerging solar cell technology to meet this need. _x000D__x000D_The heart of the DSC structure is the nanostructured titania substrate that supports the dye. This layer must have the largest possible wetted surface, but also good conductivity so that electrons produced by the dye can be collected efficiently. Redesign of this layer is the CO development in the project, and requires development of suitable nanoparticles, new methods to form the particles into substrate, and redesign of the whole cell to exploit the new optical and photoelectric characteristics._x000D__x000D_The ambition of the 10DSC project is to increase the photoconversion efficiency of commercial DSC modules from about 7% to 10% through modifications of the nanostructured titania layer and its formulated paste. This will reduce installation and electricity cost by 30% and is a major step towards effectively competing with fossil fuels on larger scales._x000D__x000D_The project consortium consists of 3G Solar Ltd (Israel) and Joma International AS (Norway). Professor Arie Zaban research group at Bar Ilan University (Israel) is subcontracted to perform part of the development._x000D__x000D_Joma International AS is a developer and producer of titania nanoparticles with customized properties, and brings the knowledge and means to produce particles with the exact properties needed. Prof. Arie Zaban is a world leading scientist on photovoltaics and DSC technology, and brings the understanding of how nanostructure affects the photoelectric mechanisms in the cell._x000D__x000D_3G Solar Ltd is the world leading developer of DSC technology and brings the knowledge and means to design and produce commercial solar cells able to exploit the advantages offered by new nanoparticles._x000D__x000D_

Acronym	10DSC (Reference Number: 5220)
Duration	01/09/2010 - 31/12/2013
Project Topic	Increase photoconversion efficiency of commercial Dye Solar Cell modules from about 7% to 10%. CO route is improvement of the nanostructured titania substrate.
Project Results (after finalisation)	CO project results are _x000D_* development of superior (world leading results) DSC cell designs, including manufacturing methods_x000D_* series of highly cost-effective DSC pastes (Joma) suitable for different dye systems, including improved production process for the key raw material_x000D__x000D_The CO result of the project regarding the dye solar cell is the durability results and characterization that were achieved. This includes a series of extreme accelerated tests required by glass manufacturers for building integration of PV (BIPV). Large cell efficiency of 7.2% was achieved and can be appropriate for BIPV installations (versus rooftop that requires higher efficiency). We did not achieve the original project goal of 10% DSC efficiency for outdoor installations.
Network	Eurostars
Call	Eurostars Cut-Off 3

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
2	Joma International AS	Partner	Norway
2	New 3G Solar Ltd	Coordinator	Israel