University spin-off achieves solar power breakthrough
A SPINOUT company from the University of Warwick has achieved a significant breakthrough in the performance of solar photovoltaic cells.
Molecular Solar has achieved and demonstrated a record voltage for organic photovoltaic cells that means these highly flexible, low cost solar cells can now be devolved for commercial uses in a wide range of consumer electronics.
For the first time, the company has been able to achieve 4-volt outputs from its organic PV cells. The firm’s research team believe this is a record for an OPV device.
Dr Ross Hatton, research director, said: “This is an important advance. We are now very close to having highly flexible organic photovoltaic cells that will be capable of delivering electrical energy at a voltage suitable for recharging lithium ion batteries, widely used in portable consumer electronics. Remarkably, this high voltage is achieved using a cell with only four junctions (sub-cells).”
University of Warwick researcher Professor Tim Jones, who is also Chief Technology Officer for Molecular Solar, added: “The first generation of organic photovoltaics will be exceptionally well matched to consumer electronics applications. The advantage of Molecular Solar’s high voltage cells is that a single cell can be used with no requirement to connect multiple cells in series for these applications, saving manufacturing cost. ’’
Andrew Oldfield, head of cleantech at Mercia Fund Management, which is backing the firm, said: “We were attracted to Molecular Solar’s unique approach to realising truly flexible, environmentally sustainable photovoltaics.”
Molecular Solar is currently finalising a £5m investment plan to secure development of its technology.
