Solar business from Korea

A team of South Korean researchers suggested a new approach that enables dramatic improvement in the low-cost, thin-film solar cells now being developed in laboratories around the world. The new technique could improve the power conversion rates of dye-sensitized solar cells by more than 50 percent of the current level once commercialization is made. Dye-sensitized solar cells, a relatively new class of thin-film solar cell, are considered extremely promising as they are easier to manufacture and use cheaper materials than conventional solar technologies. They can also be engineered into flexible sheets, and are mechanically robust, requiring no protection from minor events like hail or tree strikes. However, improving efficiency has been a major issue. Current lab prototypes of dye-sensitized solar cells convert about one tenth of the incoming sun's energy into electricity, which is about half as efficient as the commercial, silicon-based cells used in electronics devices and roof...

Researchers in South Korea have suggested a new approach to creating cost-effective and more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells, which will mean significant advancement in the thin-film market. So far in the development of this thin-film technique, researchers have faced one major setback; the efficiency of the cells has been half that of the more commonly used silicon-based cells. However, this new approach will improve the power consumption rates of dye-sensitized solar cells by at least 50%. Park Nam-gyu, a researcher from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), said his team has discovered a breakthrough method, which enables a sequential bonding of dyes in the thin, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) layers used in dye-sensitized solar cells. Park said, ''In the existing prototypes, the TiO 2 films bond with just one kind of dye, and developing techniques to allow the films to absorb dyes of different colours, thus allowing the solar cell to absorb and use a broade...