CIGS are good for you? When it's solar technology, sure!

That's right, there's yet another solar power technology under development, and this one is poised to hit the market in 2009. It's called CIGS, an abbreviation for CuInGaSe2, which is an abbreviation for copper, inidium, gallium, selenide 2, a semiconductor compound which, embedded in a sheet of polymer, can release electrons while absorbing sunlight. It's been around since the 1990s, but relatively low cost of silicon (until now - processing is extremely energy-intensive) and the extremely low cost of carbon fuels (until now) have hampered the need for development.

Like the dye-based cells mentioned yesterday, these cells can work on cloudy days.

Also like the dye-based cells mentioned yesterday, they will have a lower production rate per square foot of cell, compared to traditional, silicon-based cells. However, it is expected by US firm Allied Materials that a product which produces power at a cost of $1 per watt (competitive with current carbon-based power generation) will be ready by 2009. Swiss company Flisom is working on a similar product and timeline.

The bad news? Even the boosters aren't enthusiastic about solar wresting production capacity away from carbon:

"We think solar power can provide 20pc of all the incremental energy needed worldwide by 2040," [says Mike Staple, of Allied Materials]

The full article is available here.

CHEAP, Dye-Based Solar Cells from Massey University!

That's right, scientists at Massey University's Nanomaterials Research Centre in New Zealand have managed an incredible breakthrough: A solar cell that works in low-light conditions (think cloudy days) and costs a mere ten percent of what a comparable silicon solar cell costs to produce.

Too good to be true? Let's hope not!



The new solar cell -- it's currently at the "proof of concept" stage, but a "commercial-use prototype" is expected in two to three years -- uses specially formulated synthetic dyes which imitate the natural compounds plants use for photosynthesis. Such dyes could be impregnated in roofing material and exterior wall panels, and also in window glass. Bulky and expensive solar arrays could soon be a thing of the past!

Dr. Wayne Campbell, the lead researcher, has a few comments:

. . . [T]he green solar cells are more environmentally friendly than silicon-based cells as they are made from titanium dioxide – a plentiful, renewable and non-toxic white mineral obtained from New Zealand’s black sand.

Titanium dioxide is already used in consumer products such as toothpaste, white paints and cosmetics.

“The refining of pure silicon, although a very abundant mineral, is energy-hungry and very expensive. And whereas silicon cells need direct sunlight to operate efficiently, these cells will work efficiently in low diffuse light conditions,” Dr. Campbell says.

“The expected cost is one 10th of the price of a silicon-based solar panel, making them more attractive and accessible to home-owners.” - Massey University press release, http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz/2007/Press_Releases/04-04-07.html

This breakthrough is the result of a ten-year research project at Massey.