Revolutionary solar cell technology that has been 15 years in the making is about to be switched on at a Newcastle business in a globally significant breakthrough in the commercial application of renewable energy.
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Created by University of Newcastle physicist Paul Dastoor, the organic printed solar cells are printed on a ultra-lightweight, laminate material, similar in texture and flexibility to a potato chip packet.
The material delivers unprecedented affordability at a production cost of less than $10 per square metre.
Beresfield-based logistics company CHEP has become the the first commercial owner of the technology in Australia and most likely the world.
“It’s an historic step in the evolution of this technology and another example of private enterprise and community leading the charge in the adoption of renewables,” Professor Dastoor said.
The commercial-scale installation is the final stop before the technology becomes widely available.
“Our printed solar cells are now considered to be at the ‘top of the technology readiness tree’.
Unlike most centralised or de-centralised energy infrastructure, which requires a substantial upfront investment, printed solar could eventually resemble something more akin to a mobile phone plan.
“One of the most common questions I’m asked is when will people be able to buy this on shelves at Bunnings,” Professor Dastoor said.
Powering on: Professor Paul Dastoor with the ultra-thin solar cells installed on the rooftop of Beresfield-based logistics company CHEP.
“In future, we expect users might sign onto this energy solution in a similar way to a mobile phone plan, where you determine your usage requirements, pay a monthly service fee, but never need to ‘own’ the infrastructure. The service provider installs and upgrades your service for you as the technology continues to develop,” Professor Dastoor said.
The commercial installation comes just one year after the team’s highly celebrated, Australian first, lab-scale demonstration of printed solar.
“We learnt a lot from our first test site and, in a very short space of time, have produced a far superior second iteration, dramatically improving the system’s aesthetics, our installation method and most importantly cell efficiency,” Professor Dastoor said.
The team has more than doubled the output of the system in just one year, and expect to further double the output of the system within the next 12 weeks.
“The system works in a lineal process, so if one module is problematic it affects the output of the entire system,” Professor Dastoor said.
“We identify the rogue modules and then simply print new material to replace them.”
