Research and Development

Research in the UK is largely funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). In addition to companies' internal research activities, some pre-competitive industrial Research and Development projects are supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) mainly under the Technology Programme. The DTI’s Technology Programme funds industrially focused collaborative research. During 2006 the DTI sort proposals for research leading to cost reductions in silicon PV modules, process development for thin film PV and research into novel PV cells.

The EPSRC Sustainable Power Generation and Supply (Supergen) Programme currently supports two multi-disciplinary consortia focused on advanced PV materials:

• The ‘Photovoltaic Materials for the 21st Century’ consortium was launched during 2004 and aims to develop low-cost thin-film solar cell devices fabricated from inorganic semiconductors. Technical achievements so far include the development of an innovative electrochemical deposition method for copper indium diselenide (CIS) PV. This thin film process has the potential for considerable cost reductions.
• The Supergen Exitonic Solar Cells consortium, led by the University of Bath, is researching dye and nanoparticle- sensitized and organic cells which may offer the possibility of low toxicity, flexible and easy to manufacture PV materials. Consortium members are concentrating on understanding the factors which limit efficiencies as well as on combining their expertise to devise entirely new types of solar cell.

115 kWp roof-mounted and glass-glass canopy at Ford's Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence in East London

Tony Blair switching on the 391 kWp PV façade on Manchester's CIS tower