News and Events
Printer Facility Launched 16 May 2013. (media release)
10 January 2013: See our latest video (youtube link)
13 December: VICOSC Partners become part of the Australia USA Institute for Advanced Photovoltaics (link)
1 April 2012: The university of Melbourne initiates an ASI funded collaborative research program with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology on interface modifiers for high performance solar cells (link)
27 July 2011: State Minister for Energy and Resources, Michael O'Brien, along with the Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, announce $3.5 million to support research into more efficient solar cells and device architectures (media release). (Minister Ferguson's speech)
29 Sept 2010: VICOSC receives new funding of $10million to develop printed solar cells. (media release). DIIRD announcement (link)
11 Nov 2010: VICOSC receives new funding of $1.76 million from the Victorian Government DPI SERD 2 to develop enhanced materials and device architectures.
See our research on ABC's Catalyst Program, "Printing Solar Cells right on the money", 23 April 2009, Link.
VICOSC Printing trials commence, Link
Printed Solar Cell. Credit DJ Jones, University of Melbourne
Flexible organic solar cells.
Credit: Dr Doojin Vak, University of Melbourne.
VICOSC
The Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium is a collaboration between academia and industry based in Victoria. The consortium brings together world leaders in complementary fields of synthesis, characterisation and device assembly with industry players who are leaders in solar cell manufacture, lifetime testing, materials, substrates and printing on plastic. The consortium aims to produce prototype organic solar cells printed on plastic within 3 years.
Funding
The VICOSC Consortium has received an extra boost for its research with new joint funding of $3.5 million from the Victorian Government Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Australian Solar Institute (ASI)*. The money will enable the consortium to develop high efficiency materials and new device architectures.
This will enable new materials and device architectures to be delivered to the technology transfer program, funded by the Department of Business Innovation (DPI). This project will focus, over the next three years, on technology transfer to develop pre-commercial printed solar cells.
Generous funding of $6million dollars from the Victorian Government via the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy, Department of Primary Industries under the Sustainable Energy Research and Development grants program has allowed these international players based in Victoria to focus their energies on the development of breakthrough technologies in 3rd generation solar cells.
Technology
We have moved away from solar cells based on silicon to dye sensitised mesoporous nanocrystalline titania cells or polymer-polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells (see Organic Solar Cells). These novel technologies will enable the generation of low cost flexible solar cells via traditional printing methods.
Technology
We have moved away from solar cells based on silicon to dye sensitised mesoporous nanocrystalline titania cells or polymer-polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells (see Organic Solar Cells). These novel technologies will enable the generation of low cost flexible solar cells via traditional printing methods.
*This project has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Solar Institute (ASI). part of the Clean Energy Initiative. The Australian Government, through the ASI, is supporting Australian research and development in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies to help solar power become cost competitive with other energy sources.
The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government and the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein.
