Dyesol and Corus Accelerate Building Integrated Solar Cell Commercialization

At a time when virtually all of the construction and solar cell industry is experiencing a significant slowing of activity and short term demand and profitability declines are the norm, the Corus/Dyesol partnership has announced that the project to bring dye solar cells (DSC) onto metal roofing is being accelerated. The decision to accelerate the project was made on the basis of anticipated demand growing dramatically from 2010 and the success of the program to date, wherein the achievement of product milestones is well ahead of schedule.

Dyesol and Corus will commit more technical and production engineering staff to the project, and initiate real life product testing by mid 2009.  The commercialization path will be shortened to eliminate one stage of the manufacturing assurance phase. This will mean that product will become available from the first production line in 2010 for selected customers.

The acceleration of the current phase is being financed predominantly by bringing forward planned commitments. Details of plans for the earlier commitment of production facilities from 2010 will be released over the coming months.

The dye solar cell integrated into steel roofing promises to be the first solar cell technology that can be grid competitive in the normal light conditions experienced in most cities around the world. The advantages of dye solar cells derive from the similarity with photosynthesis. Consequently, dye solar cells exhibit operating voltage stability across the normal daily solar conditions, including cloudy and hazy conditions. DSC is also less susceptible to hot conditions than other solar technologies – and it comes in a variety of natural colours. The technology has been demonstrated by Dyesol through accelerated testing to have an operating lifetime well in excess of the 25 years needed for BIPV applications. Combined with the low energy required for manufacture and relatively cheap materials of construction, DSC has tremendous potential for application wherever steel roofing is used.