Semi-transparent printable solar cells for energy generating windows

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NSG/Pilkington is one of the largest glass manufacturers in the world. With a strong presence in Europe and manufacturing sites in the UK, NSG produces over 320million M2 of glass products every year. NSG produces glass for markets such as automotive, display and optical products and in considerable volume for the built environment. NSG seeks to add value to their current building integrated glazing range by extending their current functionality from such things as low emissivity and self-cleaning to that of energy (electricity) generation. A range of different options are available including opaque application of existing PV technologies for spandrel panels however of interest in this project is the delivery of a PV technology that is also semi-transparent and that can be used in conventional glass window products. An exciting new technology which may deliver this is the printable perovskite solar cell. Current champion performances of perovskite solar cells have reached over 22% in efficiency and continue to rise, this is achieved whilst using low cost materials that can be applied using industry scale deposition methods. The challenge of this project is to achieve a scaled glazing product using perovskite that is also semi-transparent, this requires additional technology innovation in the area of the perovskite absorber layer itself as well as in the normally opaque electrode materials.This EngD represent an exciting opportunity to work within the PV group at SPECIFIC, led by Dr Trystan Watson and further the ambitions of NSG to develop a solution processable solid state semi-transparent solar glass product. The SPECIFIC IKC sits beyond fundamental science to identify the technologies emerging from laboratories and assess their suitability to scale up in the area of building integrated functional coatings that generate, store or release energy. The photovoltaic group has responsibility for identifying new cell architecture and chemistries that fit with the necessary criteria of large scale manufacture which includes earth abundance, manufacturing feasibility and impact on the environment.Project Aims:The aim of this project is to develop a semi-transparent prototype glazing product based on the perovskite solar absorbing material. This will entail the development and optimization of strategies to balance light absorption by the absorber material whilst maintaining semi-transparency of the glass overall and the ability to influence the overall absorption wavelengths (colour) and clarity of the device stack. It will be necessary to develop appropriate absorber and electrode materials for this purpose. In addition the methods that will be developed will require application using scalable processes such as blade coating or slot-die onto industrially relevant NSG products.