Solar power: energy from the sun

Photovoltaics

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CSIRO is committed to making photovoltaic solar cells – a commercialised, readily available solar technology – cheaper, longer lasting and more environmentally sustainable.

Photovoltaics (PVs) involve the conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. Materials are selected or designed to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these electrons are captured, electricity is created.

Flexible solar cell print trials.

Most of today's commercially available solar cells are made from high purity semi-conductor or solar grade silicon, which makes the cells expensive.

CSIRO is investigating new organic materials (like plastic) and other technologies that will create the next generation of solar cells – they will be lighter, more flexible, attractive and most importantly, cheaper.

CSIRO's current photovoltaic projects include:

Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium
Dye-sensitised solar cells
Organic solar cells
Solar intermittency study
Characterisation.

More information:

Dye-sensitised solar cells: third generation solar technology

Through this ground breaking project CSIRO is aiming to fast track consumer uptake of renewable solar energy by creating a cheaper, more efficient solar cell.

Solar intermittency: Australia’s clean energy challenge

Intermittency is one of the biggest barriers to the large-scale uptake of solar energy. Sunshine is difficult to accurately forecast, can change rapidly due to moving clouds, cannot be controlled and is not a source of energy 24 hours a day.

Low cost energy, using organic photovoltaics

CSIRO is developing new materials and processes to enable high throughput, low cost reel-to-reel printable electronics for the production of thin film organic photovoltaic solar cells.