Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has launched a new facility for printed flexible solar cells in Victoria, with an investment of AU$6.8 million (approximately US$4.47 million).
As announced yesterday (30 October), CSIRO has established the facility to connect research and development (R&D) with the commercialization of its printed flexible solar cells.
The procedure includes printing perovskite solar cells on thin plastic films, as highlighted by CSIRO, rendering them lightweight and easily transportable. This characteristic makes them well-suited for a range of applications in urban construction, space exploration, defense, mining, emergency response, disaster relief efforts, and wearable technology.
Earlier this year, the organization announced that it had set a new efficiency record for its flexible solar technology, achieving a conversion rate of up to 15.5%.
CSIRO’s facility features a new pilot-scale roll-to-roll (R2R) printing, coating, and lamination machine, which has been set up in a specially designed climate-controlled ISO-8 workspace.
Although printed flexible solar technology holds significant potential, Dr. Anthony Chesman, head of CSIRO’s Renewable Energy Systems Group, stressed that it is not meant to replace traditional silicon rooftop solar PV modules but rather to serve as a complementary solution.
“This printed solar technology opens up entirely new possibilities for cost-effective, versatile, and sustainable energy generation,” Chesman stated.
“Our new system is highly automated, allowing multiple printing and laminating steps to be carried out in a single continuous operation. This greatly reduces production costs and the initial investment required to begin.”
“Our team has also created an automated system capable of producing up to 14,000 test solar cells each day to refine their design and performance. We are seeking partners to collaborate with us on this R&D journey and eventually bring this technology to market.”
CSIRO’s research on printed flexible solar cells represents the latest advancement in thin-film solar technology, building on the “paper-thin” solar cells developed by MIT in December 2022. Their research has yielded two functional cells: one achieving a conversion efficiency of 15.5% on a small scale, and another with an efficiency of 11% for a module measuring 50 cm², setting a record for efficiency in cells of this size.
