Printed solar film

Our lightweight, flexible solar film can be semi-transparent and comes in a range of colours. This solar film is roll-to-roll processed using established printing and coating techniques that are directly translatable to industry.

Technology

This solar film is printed on a lightweight, flexible and transparent plastic substrate using low cost methods.  We can print solar film in widths of 10 cm or 30 cm, in cut-to-measure lengths.  We have achieved over 15 per cent power conversion efficiency on fully printed small-scale cells, and 11 per cent power conversion efficiency on 10cm wide modules.

This technology is fabricated using high throughput, low-cost processes in ambient conditions. The production cost is low and energy payback time is around one third that of silicon solar panels. The barrier to entry to manufacture this technology is also comparatively low, presenting a great manufacturing opportunity to Australian industry.

Applications

This printed solar film is beneficial to industry because:

• it is light weight and flexible, making it ideal for the growing floating solar market
• the slim form factor makes it a natural fit for integration into building products, like roofing materials
• this printed solar technology supplies constant voltage in low-light conditions, making it ideal for trickle charging
• it can be integrated into portable consumer products. For example, it can be used in a laptop bag to charge your computer on the go
• it is well suited to deployable power stations. It can be rolled and transported in shipping containers or other vessels for rapid deployment on location. This application may find utility in the agriculture and mining sectors, or in disaster relief efforts.

Intellectual property

• Large patent portfolio.
• Extensive know-how in the printing field.

The team

Our team is a multidisciplinary research group comprising chemists, physicists, materials engineers and scientists, and electrical engineers.