Solar Cells can now be painted on steel…
A new photo voltaic paint is being developed in a UK university and a commercial partner and the steel industry. Buildings covered in steel sheets will be generating huge amounts of solar electricity in three years.
These new solar paints have the advantage of being able to absorb across the visible spectrum which makes them more efficient at capturing low radiation light than conventional solar cells which is suited to British climate with many cloudy days.
This paint is made up of a layer of dye and a layer of electrolytes and can be applied as a liquid paste. Altogether, there are four coats of solar paint, a dye-sensitized solar cells, a titanium dioxide layer, an electrolyte layer and finally the protective film layer. These layers are built on top of the others in a successive and rapid manner.
A laboratory built to develop the new solar technology that replicates plant’s photosynthesis will start on October 30th 2008 in Shotton, North Wales.
Mr Stephen Fisher said that Corus was developing the photovoltaic paint as part of its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Although typical CO2 emissions per tonne of steel are now around 50% lower than they were 40 years ago, the steel industry is still a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions. We invest significant amounts every year reducing the environmental impact of our processes and work hard to ensure we continuously improve our performance beyond mere compliance.”
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