An economically-sound solution to solar power comes from Tata Steel’s Corus and Swansea University researchers, who developed a technology that uses steel sheets for more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.
This kind of solar cell would work very well in diffused sunlight, in countries where the weather is generally cloudy and countries at higher latitudes.
Also, the technology could be implemented in automobiles, whose paints could be actually active dyes that would charge their batteries or electrolyze water and create pure hydrogen for the fuel cell.
Sun Catalytix, a US-based company, already delivers an integrated solution containing solar cells, low-cost catalysts and fuel cells that could be placed on just about any electric car.
The printing process for these dyes has also already been mastered by Corus, Tata’s European subsidiary, which is building a new plant for the production of steel sheets in Europe.
The need for solar cells that are also efficient in low light conditions is pretty big nowadays, since the Sun doesn’t shine as brightly in all countries. Tata’s efforts to bring this plan to reality may also prove fruitful in the not-so-distant future.
