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

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

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 A thin-film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are commercially use ...

technologies and materials. The company 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 but then focused on perovskite solar cells, and assisted manufacturing partners to produce perovskite photovoltaic modules. The company was based in

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of 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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and opened its manufacturing and research facilities in October 2008. It expanded to several locations around the world, including the UK and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and established joint ventures in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. The company was predominantly focused on

and materials development, with numerous academic and corporate partnerships trying 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 panel manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company started out as a wafer manufacturer in 2006 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed ...

which was hoped to lead to large scale deployment of the technology. In October 2018, the Materials Division of Greatcell Solar was spun off, in a new business called Greatcell Solar Materials (GSM), 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 systems applications to the photovoltaics research sector and the 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, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1988 by Brian O'Regan and Michael Graetzel. Their paper A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO₂ films, published in 1991 in the journal, ''Nature'', spawned a new research field and a new route to harvest electrical power from sunlight. Since that time

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 ...

, now at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has received numerous awards 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 or 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 DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

) 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.

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 refers to 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 lat ...

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 d ...

. 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 The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...

Research into Solid State DSC (ssDSC), Singapore *

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

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, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern outs ...

ANSTO, Australia *

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

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 fina ...

Wales **

AkzoNobel Akzo Nobel N.V., stylized as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational company which creates paints and performance coatings for both industry and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, ...

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

BASF BASF Societas Europaea, SE () is a German multinational corporation, multinational chemical company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The ...

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, and Gua ...

Glass *
EPSRC
*
Innovate UK
Commercial Partners *

Merck KGaA The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the ma ...

(Supplying electrolytes, ionic liquids) *

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

(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 photov ...

for use by Dyesol partners *

Pilkington Pilkington is a Japanese-owned glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, United Kingdom. In the UK it includes several legal entities and is a subsidiary of Japanese company NSG Group. Prior to its acquisition by NSG i ...

Supplying Transparent Conductive Oxides for use by Dyesol partners *

Umicore Umicore N.V.. formerly '' Union Minière'', is a multinational materials technology company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Formed in 1989 by the merger of four companies in the mining and smelting industries, Umicore has since reshaped i ...

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

Hoang Giang Solar

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