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June 30, 2005 Dyesol, Konarka, and dye-sensitized solar cells Treehugger reports that Dyesol, an Australian developer of dye-sensitized solar cells, will soon be traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). At the heart of these solar cells is a nanoparticulate titanium dioxide layer impregnated with a dye and placed in contact with an iodine-based electrolyte. The whole assembly is sandwiched between a pair of conductors. Incident light excites electrons in the dye, which diffuse through the titanium dioxide to the conducting layer on the top of the cell. Electrons lost from the dye layer are replenished from the electrolyte, which receives electrons from the rear conductor and transports them to the dye in a redox reaction, oxidizing and reducing atoms of iodine. It is a very simple process that appeals to many because of its similarity to photosynthesis. The best efficiencies for dye-sensitized solar cells are around 10%, but they are thought to have the potential to be much less expensive than silicon PV. Dyesol does not yet have a product beyond educational and demonstration kits. In fact, the press release announcing the initial public offering (IPO) notes that the company recently signed its “first commercial agreement … for a feasibility study for a manufacturing plant in Canada.” It does have a manufacturing process for mass production of dye-sensitized solar cells, and it appears to me that they are aiming for the turnkey market, much like GT Solar Technologies does in the crystalline silicon market. In fact, Greatcell Solar (a play on the name Grätzel, inventor of the dye-sensitized solar cell) seems to use a manufacturing technology much like that pushed by Dyesol. The manufacturing process developed by Dyesol appears to use a liquid electrolyte, though it is difficult to tell from their web site. This is no great surprise since every working dye-sensitized solar cell I have ever heard of (aside from those made by Konarka) does the same. However, if that be the case, it raises all sorts of red flags. Update: About 30 seconds after I finished with this I ran across a post at the seemingly defunct Solar Tech blog indicating that Konarka is having major durability problems with its modules. |
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| aus der Diskussion: | Greatcell Solar Ltd. (GSL) --- ehemalige Dyesol Ltd -- Solarwert an der Australischen Börse |
| Autor (Datum des Eintrages): | ProMaiLer (04.09.05 03:36:58) |
| Beitrag: | 5 von 56,993 (ID:17779537) |
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