Tandem Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Summary

Need

Reducing the cost of solar cells will increase their use by Australians to generate electricity.

Project innovation

The Tandem Quantum Dot Solar Cells project is demonstrating a new type of photovoltaic (PV) solar cell that combines the reliability of silicon (the second most abundant element on Earth) with a technology that can more effectively collect visible and invisible solar energy (called a tandem solar cell) thereby creating a new type of tandem solar cell based solely on silicon.

If successful, the new technology could revolutionise the PV solar cell industry.

The most innovative feature of the project is the use of nanotechnology (or quantum dots) to produce silicon-based materials that can be used to create the new tandem solar cell.

The project builds on recent analysis of silicon-based quantum dot structures, which showed the range of the solar energy spectrum collected and then converted into electricity by the structures can be varied by changing the size of the quantum dots.

The project aims to improve the design of silicon quantum dot structures so they can produce a higher voltage when used in the new tandem solar cell.

It involves a continuous process of design, manufacturing and testing, with the test results then being fed into the next round of design and manufacture.

Benefit

This project aims to be the first demonstration of a tandem solar cell based on silicon quantum dots with a defined path to commercialisation.