Next-gen solar could 'forever alter' buildings

A three-year, $18-million pilot project between Dyesol  and Tata Steel aims to develop Dyesol’s dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology so that it can be integrated into building materials, effectively turning structures into power plants.

“Our relationship with the built environment is evolving,” said Marc Thomas CEO of Dyesol and general manager of the company’s global glass business. “Initially, the building industry focused on products designed to conserve energy. In the coming years, buildings will integrate power generation onto products used in walls, roofs and windows, radically changing the function of a building’s envelope. By partnering with major building materials manufacturers such as Tata Steel, Dyesol will hasten that change and forever alter the way we look at buildings.”

Tata Steel, which has supplied building materials to Manchester United’s soccer stadium, IKEA and Tesco stores, among other commercial buildings, is working with Dyesol to develop DSC materials at a joint research facility in Europe. To cap the completion of the research-and-development pilot phase, the companies’ joint team of scientists and engineers recently unveiled the world’s largest DSC module.

Dyesol claims DSC represents the emerging third generation of solar technology and is the first technology that promises to bring building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) into the mainstream. With lower material cost to manufacture and better energy yield in low and diffuse light conditions, DSC could make solar generation ubiquitous by incorporating generation into building, auto and industrial materials, the company says.

DSC  technology can be incorporated into roofs, façades and window products, eliminating the need to add new surface area for solar generation. Because it can capture diffuse light, DSC can be used on all sides of a building to generate power throughout the day.