Oxford researchers have developed a photovoltaic (PV) technology that has the potential to deliver low cost, efficient solar cells that can be readily incorporated into glass building facades. The technology makes use of a simple manufacturing process with inexpensive and abundant raw materials. Prototypes of these Meso-Superstructured Solar Cells (MSSC) achieve a 10.9% efficiency. The technology has been exclusively licensed by Isis Innovation Ltd., the Technology. The key to this new class of solar cell technology lies in combining specifically formulated ceramics with thin films. A MSSC can be printed directly onto glass and processed at below 150 C to produce a semi-transparent, robust layer. The MSSCs have proven to suffer from few losses to provide a photovoltage of 1.1 volts. The company plans to continuously optimise MSSCs towards the goal of over 20% efficiency.
Solar cells
