Dyesol, NTU Join Forces

Dye solar cell (DSC) applications and technological advancements will be the focus of a two-year joint R&D collaboration commencing in June between Singapore’s Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N) and Australian renewable energy firm Dyesol Limited.

Both institutions will partner up for research and development work involving low-cost DSC technology – a nanotechnology that mimics photosynthesis to turn light into electricity under real world solar conditions – invented by renowned photo-chemist Professor Michael Grätzel, who is chairman of both the Energy Research Institute at NTU’s (ERI@N) International Advisory Board and Dyesol’s Technical Advisory Board.

“I am thrilled about this partnership agreement between ERI@N and Dyesol; uniting the impressive technology base and experience of these two institutions will result in a powerful synergistic thrust, fostering new scientific breakthroughs and commercial applications,” said Professor Grätzel.

Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, executive director of ERI@N, said the collaboration with global DSC leader Dyesol demonstrates NTU’s continued efforts and commitment to sustainability, as clean energy is one of NTU’s “Five Peaks of Excellence” for which the university aims to make its global mark.

“With efficiencies already exceeding 12%, DSC offers a viable alternative for cost-competitive energy harvesting solutions which may be readily integrated into buildings and consumer applications. We look forward to partnering Dyesol and Professor Grätzel’s research teams to develop high-efficiency and reliable solutions that will promote widespread adoption of these solar cells.” Professor Mhaisalkar said.

In addition to leading the mass-market commercialization of DSC technology through collaborations with multi-national manufacturers seeking to embed photovoltaic capability into their products, Dyesol is also working with leading universities and research institutes to advance DSC performance, capabilities and evaluate potential applications.

“Collaborating with Singapore’s NTU on DSC research will deliver significant benefits to Dyesol, including expanding expertise in ‘Solid State DSC’ and allowing both parties to leverage their expertise in a technology supportive environment,” said Dyesol director Gordon Thompson.

ERI@N is a global research and development center that tackles issues and challenging questions on sustainable energies and energy efficiency. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board and other industry agencies, ERI@N’s applied and translational research activities are supported by over 250 researchers from various backgrounds working in areas of wind/marine renewables, batteries, fuel cells, green building technologies, solar cells fuels, maritime clean energy and electro-mobility.

NTU has cemented important partnerships with several leading industry players such as Gamesa, Rolls-Royce Singapore, Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK), and Vestas Technology R&D Singapore (Vestas), in addition to collaborating with renowned universities such as the University of Cambridge, University of California Berkeley, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Switzerland and Imperial College London.