Australian Innovation: Solar Power
What if you could print out a solar panel, like you print an image on a sheet of paper?
As strange as it sounds, Australian scientists and engineers are doing just that.
Their inspiration came from an unlikely source.
One of the most successful innovations from Australia’s CSIRO—the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation—was the development of polymer (plastic-based) banknotes.
Having solved the problem of how to print banknotes, the CSIRO wondered about other products that could be made using these techniques.
They began to consider how to improve the efficiency of making flexible printed solar cells by printing them continuously as layers onto a roll of film.
However they knew this would be much more difficult than printing a banknote.
The printing would require several separate, precise layers, each with a particular function.
The precision required to make the layers is astonishing.
Each layer has a special ink, which is a formulation which contains all of the special components which are needed to make the material perform correctly … we have some layers which are as thin as 20 nanometers, but if there are any breaks or pinholes, the device will fail. — Dr Anthony Chesman, CSIRO
This advance represents a leap in solar cell research and development, departing significantly from the solar panels most of us are familiar with today.
Conventional silicon solar cells currently convert sunlight into electricity with an efficiency of about 26%.
This is likely to be the limit that this material can achieve.
Now a new type of material, known as perovskite, is showing great improvement in efficiency, and can be produced at a much lower cost.
Under development for around 15 years, these new flexible printed solar cells are an innovation made possible by decades of collaborative solar research across the world.
The path of solar power has been very long. Its origins go way back to 1839, when a French physicist, Edmond Becquerel, first observed the production of electricity from sunlight.
Some of the earliest designs for solar power were based on the chemical element selenium, which was found to react to light.
But solar power as we know it today comes from a breakthrough by Bell Laboratories using silicon in 1954.
The greatest innovation in solar technology is really the first steps that were taken when silicon was used to generate electricity ... this laid the foundation for all the other materials that followed. — Dr Anthony Chesman, CSIRO
The early days of the space race in the 1950s and 1960s were critical to accelerating development of this innovation.
Before silicon-based solar cells, batteries only lasted a matter of weeks but the first satellite to use solar power, Vanguard 1, lasted 6 years.
Back on Earth, it wasn’t until the 1970s that solar power became more efficient and cost-effective for practical use.
As the cost of solar panels further declined, it put the technology in the hands of more people.
By the 1990s there was a huge shift to make it an everyday part of our lives.
But just because a technology exists doesn't mean everyone is comfortable taking on the risk of being the first to use it. Especially when you’re putting up your own money.
Stuart McQuire and Wendy Orams became the first people in Victoria (and the second in Australia) to install grid-connected solar panels on their home in Melbourne, aiming to cut their greenhouse emissions.
The first system was connected to the electricity grid in April 1996.
Although the power company covered the majority of the installation cost, Stuart & Wendy’s contribution was around 20% of their family budget for the year—about $5,000.
We were well and truly wanting to do it, and we knew because it was the first in Victoria that we were helping to pioneer it. And part of what we wanted to do was make as many people aware of it as we could. And that was why we did the open days and also tried to get media coverage at the time as well. — Stuart McQuire
People were quite sceptical initially. And I think one of the biggest comments was, you know, how long is it going to take to pay for itself? And we'd say, well, you know, when you buy a new car does it pay for itself? You know, what else do you buy that has to pay for itself? — Wendy Orams
Their example showed how effective solar could be as an alternative source of domestic energy. And while they didn’t install solar power for financial return, ultimately it saved them money.
Stuart and Wendy’s original system lasted 23 years.
With improvements in solar technologies, their current solar setup can generate more than six times the energy as their first system.
Since that time, household solar power generation has skyrocketed around the world.
So ubiquitous is the technology now that you’ll find solar panels on all sorts of buildings, including Melbourne Museum.
And the technology keeps getting better and cheaper.
But on the top of urban buildings is not where you’re likely to see those flexible printed solar cells anytime soon.
While we don't think that [flexible printed solar cells] will replace silicon solar cells in the near-term, we do think there'll be bespoke applications—it could be devices or portable applications—where the power to weight ratio is at a premium. — Dr Anthony Chesman, CSIRO
Space is a unique and challenging environment, with huge temperature shifts and high radiation.
It is driving technology to be more efficient, cheaper and lightweight.
The flexibility of fully printed cells means they could be rolled out in space, similar to what space agencies are already doing, but at a much cheaper cost.
And their lighter weight gives them another advantage in terrestrial applications.
We know we're seeing a lot of enclosed cropping, which is essentially growing in greenhouses. That's due to the effects of climate change, where the planet's getting hotter and drier. In some regions, however, these environments are difficult to power ... with the lightweight, flexible solar cells, we can put them on those structures without weighing them down and causing them to collapse. — Dr Anthony Chesman, CSIRO
And even if the new technology doesn’t fully replace conventional silicon solar panels, alternative sources like this are needed now more than ever.
While the world is moving to decarbonise power production, demand for energy is only increasing. The transition to renewable energy is critical for our planet’s future.
