ESCORT · Efficient Solar Cells based on Organic and hybrid Technology

Widespread uptake of inorganic semiconductor solar cells has been limited, with current solar cell arrays only producing between 4 to 7 GW of the 15 TW (<0.04%) global energy demand, despite the terrestrial solar resource being 120,000 TW. The industry is growing at a cumulative rate of over 40% per annum, even with effects of the financial crisis.The challenge facing the photovoltaic industry is cost effectiveness through much lower embodied energy. Plastic electronics and solution-processable inorganic semiconductors can revolutionise this industry due to their relatively easy and low cost processability (low embodied energy). The efficiency of solar cells fabricated from these “cheap” materials, is approaching competitive values, with comparison tests showing better performance for excitonic solar cells with reference to amorphous silicon in typical Northern European conditions. A 50% increase of the output will make these new solar cells commercially dominant in all markets since they are superior in capturing photons in non-ideal conditions (angled sun, cloud, haze) having a stable maximum power point over the full range of light intensity. Our objectives are to exploit the joint leadership of the top European and Indian academic and industrial Institutions to foster the wide-spread uptake of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells technology, by improving over the current state of the art by innovative materials and processes. The Indian project will tentatively start within six months after the start of the European project.