GreatCell Solar Limited (), previously known as Dyesol, was a

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

company developing

perovskite solar cell A perovskite solar cell (PSC) is a type of solar cell that includes a perovskite-structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic–inorganic lead or tin halide-based material as the light-harvesting active layer. Perovskite materials, such a ...

3rd generation

thin-film solar cell Thin-film solar cells are a type of solar cell made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin films or TFs) of photovoltaic material onto a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nan ...

technologies and materials. The

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

was previously focused on developing

dye-sensitized solar cell A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC, DSC, DYSC or Grätzel cell) is a low-cost solar cell belonging to the group of thin film solar cells. It is based on a semiconductor formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a '' photoelectr ...

(DSC or DSSC)

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

before shifting focus to perovskite solar cells, and had been since assisting

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

partners with the production of perovskite photovoltaic modules. The company was based in

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Queanbeyan-Pale ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and opened its manufacturing and

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

facilities in October 2008. It had expanded to several locations around the world, including the UK and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and established joint ventures in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. The company was predominantly focused on

and materials development, with numerous academic and corporate partnerships attempting to commercialize modules based on both glass and metal substrates by 2019 and 2020 respectively. In July 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the world's largest solar panel manufacturer,

Jinko Solar JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. () is a solar module manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, China, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2010. Its subsidiary Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. () was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Science and ...

, a decision made in hopes of allowing for large-scale deployment of the technology. In October 2018, the Materials Division of Greatcell Solar was branched off into a new business, Greatcell Solar Materials (GSM), now based in Queanbeyan. In December 2018, GreatCell Solar Limited entered administration and was put into liquidation in September 2019. Greatcell Solar Materials still operates as a manufacturer and supplier of materials (including perovskite precursors, dyes and titania pastes) for

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

systems in cooperation with the photovoltaics research sector and the wider electronics industry.

DSC development and company history

Dye-sensitized solar cell A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC, DSC, DYSC or Grätzel cell) is a low-cost solar cell belonging to the group of thin film solar cells. It is based on a semiconductor formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a '' photoelectr ...

technology was invented at the Institute of

Physical Chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...

, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland in 1988 by Brian O'Regan and

Michael Grätzel Michael Grätzel (born 11 May 1944, in Dorfchemnitz, Saxony, Germany) is a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne where he directs the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He pioneered research on energy and electron tran ...

. Their paper, "''A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO₂ films''", was published in 1991 in the journal ''Nature'', and spawned a new research field to harvest electrical power from sunlight. Since that time, Michael Grätzel, now at Switzerland's

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (, EPFL) is a public university, public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1969 with the mission to "train talented engineers in Switzerland". Like its sister institution E ...

(EPFL), has received numerous

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

and accolades in relation to the invention of DSCs, and maintained close links to Dyesol as Chairman of Dyesol's Technical Advisory Board. Liquid DSC vs solid state DSC

From 1994, STI and Greatcell teams in Australia and Switzerland developed DSC technology and established the world's first DSC prototype manufacturing facility in Australia in 2000. Key to that development phase was the invention of processes, new materials, and equipment to manufacture DSC products. Dyesol acquired the laboratory, manufacturing equipment and intellectual property which has resulted in a large portfolio of patents. Dyesol further acquired STI in 2006 and Greatcell in 2007. Dyesol Limited was formed in 2004 to accelerate the commercial development of DSC technology and build on the DSC work of previous 14 years carried out by Sustainable Technologies International Pty Ltd ("STI"), Greatcell Solar S.A. ("Greatcell"), and Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). It was listed on the

Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd (ASX) is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, ...

in 2005 (DYE) and the German Open Market (D5I.F), and is trading on the OTCQX (DYSOY) through its depositary BNY Mellon. Transperant Tandem DSC on Glass

In May 2013 Dyesol announced that Dye-sensitized Solar Cell (DSC) technology has achieved a technical breakthrough by achieving a solid-state DSC (ss-DSC) efficiency of 11.3% at full sun. The technology is particularly important in solar markets where light conditions are sub-optimal, such as Europe, North America and North-East Asia, or low-light conditions (such as indoor applications) where much higher efficiencies over 30% can be achieved. SsDSC vs DSC

On July 11, 2013, Dyesol / EPFL announced a new record DSC efficiency. Michael Grätzel stated "Our research work on solid-state Dye Solar Cells (ss-DSC) is now achieving efficiencies exceeding 15%". However, this is now considered a perovskite solar cell and the official accredited DSC

solar cell efficiency Solar-cell efficiency is the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell. The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system, in combination with latitude an ...

is 11.9% determined by the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and ...

. This efficiency is not expected to greatly increase as the DSC field has largely shifted to the development of perovskite solar cells which have achieved certified efficiencies over 23%.{{Cite web , url=https://www.nrel.gov/pv/assets/pdfs/pv-efficiencies-07-17-2018.pdf , title=Archived copy , access-date=2018-10-15 , archive-date=2018-10-16 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016032645/https://www.nrel.gov/pv/assets/pdfs/pv-efficiencies-07-17-2018.pdf , url-status=dead Dyesol_ssDSC_on_Steel

Subsidiaries and Partnerships

Subsidiaries * Dyesol-Timo Co Ltd (ssDSC & Liquid DSC on Glass / Polymers / Steel), South Korea * Dyesol Automotive Bavaria GmbH (ssDSC & Liquid DSC for Automotive), Germany * Dyesol-Printed Power Pte Ltd (Research into Combined Energy Generation and Storage (CEGS)), Singapore Academic and R&D Partners * EPFL On going research mainly into Solid State DSC (ssDSC), Switzerland *

Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1981, it is also the second oldest autonomous university in the country. The university is organised across numerous colleges and schools, includi ...

Research into Solid State DSC (ssDSC), Singapore *

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

Research into Solid State DSC (ssDSC), Australia *

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is a statutory body of the Australian Government that is responsible for nuclear research and the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. It was established in Apr ...

ANSTO, Australia *

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

Swansea University Swansea University () is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it chang ...

SPECIFIC Specific may refer to: * Specificity (disambiguation) * Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness Law * Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual * Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the final ...

Wales **

AkzoNobel Akzo Nobel N.V., stylised as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational corporation, multinational company which creates paints and performance coatings for both industry and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities ...

Performance Coatings ** TATA Steel Europe Colorcoat Steel Roofing & Siding **

BASF BASF SE (), an initialism of its original name , is a European Multinational corporation, multinational company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Ge ...

Chemicles ** Alcro-Beckers AB Paint **

Nippon Sheet Glass is a Japanese glass manufacturing company. In 2006, it acquired Pilkington of the United Kingdom. This makes NSG/Pilkington one of the four largest glass companies in the world alongside another Japanese company Asahi Glass, Saint-Gobain, an ...

Glass *
EPSRC
*
Innovate UK
Commercial Partners *

Merck KGaA The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German Multinational corporation, multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group include ...

(Supplying electrolytes, ionic liquids) *

Sigma-Aldrich Sigma-Aldrich (formally MilliporeSigma) is an American chemical, life science, and biotechnology company owned by the multinational chemical conglomerate Merck Group. Sigma-Aldrich was created in 1975 by the merger of Sigma Chemical Company and ...

(Global Distribution of DSC and ssDSC Materials) * TASNEE (Assistance with future funding and guarantees), Saudi Arabia * Cristal (Supplying Nano-Titania for use by Dyesol partners), Saudi Arabia Suppliers * Sefar AG Supplying

transparent conducting film Transparent conducting films (TCFs) are thin films of optically transparent and electrically conductive material. They are an important component in a number of electronic devices including liquid-crystal displays, OLEDs, touchscreens and photo ...

for use by Dyesol partners *

Pilkington Pilkington is a glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, England. It includes several legal entities in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Japanese company Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG). It was formerly an independent company ...

Supplying Transparent Conductive Oxides for use by Dyesol partners *

Umicore Umicore N.V., known as ''Union Minière'' before 2001, is a Belgian-French multinational materials technology company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It was formed in 1989 by the merger of four companies in the mining and smelting industri ...

Supplying liquid DSC dyes for use by Dyesol partners * SIA Engineering Company/Meerkat Manufacturing facilities for use by Dyesol Partners Industrial Consumers * G24 Innovations Ltd. (Dyes)
Nesli DSC
(Turkey) Distribution * TATA Steel Europe Colorcoat Steel Roofing & Siding * ThyssenKrupp * CSR Viridian

References

External links

Dyesol

Science Magazine:- Newcomer Juices Up the Race to Harness Sunlight

Turkey Takes Important DSC Commercialisation Steps

Dyesol Limited has signed a Global Distribution Agreement with Sigma-Aldrich® Corporation

Cheaper Perovskite could replace Silicon in Solar Cells

PVTEC :- Dyesol mulling pilot line phases for perovskite thin-film products

2-DTech & Dyesol secures grants for Innovation
Photovoltaics manufacturers Dye-sensitized solar cells Technology companies of Australia Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange