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Organic photovoltaic research launched

Posted: 12/10/2007

The Carbon Trust has launched a research and development programme worth at least £5 million that aims to make photovoltaic energy generation radically cheaper. The programme will be developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge and The Technology Partnership (TTP).

The project aims to turn PV into a cost effective energy source within ten years, with more than 1GW of organic PV installed by 2017, which could deliver CO² savings of more than 1 million tonnes per year. It will also build on the UK’s role in the global organic PV market, with the potential to help the UK take a lead in this exciting new area.

The organic PV systems created by the Carbon Trust’s programme will be cheaper and simpler to implement than current technology, making PV technology more widely available and increasing its take up. The sheets of PV film, made from a polymer base, will be able to sit on a wide range of surfaces, including windows or building roofs, to capture solar energy.

Other simple applications could include chargers for mobile phones or laptops. The Carbon Trust’s investment will cover the initial three years of a longer development process.

Tom Delay, chief executive at the Carbon Trust, said: “This is a groundbreaking project that has the potential to make the UK a world leader in third generation PV technology. We believe this exciting new organic PV technology is our best shot at dramatically reducing the cost of solar PV to the point that, in the next ten years, it could become as cheap as the power currently delivered to our homes".

Climate Change Minister, Joan Ruddock MP, said: “Developing and deploying low carbon technologies is fundamental to our efforts to fight climate change, both in the UK and beyond our borders. Solar energy has enormous potential, but it's currently out of the price range of most people. Projects like this one have the capacity to make energy from the sun more effective and more affordable, so I'm pleased that the Government is able to support this research through the Carbon Trust.”

This project is the first of the Carbon Trust’s Directed Research programmes and sits alongside the Carbon Trust’s other initiatives supporting low carbon innovation and the commercialisation of fledgling low carbon technologies in the UK.

A core aim is to create modules with five per cent efficiency and a lifetime of five years that can be manufactured on a roll-to-roll web up to one metre wide. There is an excellent opportunity to draw on the strengths and expertise of the emerging cluster of organic electronics companies in the Cambridge area and elsewhere in the UK.

For further information, please visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/directedresearch

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