Solar Energy

More energy reaches the earth from the sun in just one hour than is consumed by the whole planet in one year. Solar energy is the earth’s main primary energy source, and many technologies have been developed or are being researched to make use of this energy.  

The Centre for Sustainable Engineering with colleagues from across the Faculty Green Energy Theme contains a critical mass of research teams working on next generation solar energy technologies that use low-cost, easily processed materials to produce cheaper and higher efficiency photovoltaic devices and photoelectrocatalysts, which produce fuels (such as hydrogen) directly from sunlight, water and other materials. Our research is focused on:  

  • Perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The scalable manufacture using industrially relevant techniques such as slot-dye coating, with in-situ monitoring to understand perovskite crystallisation. We also specialise in assessing the environmental impact of PSCs, including the potential for leaching of harmful compounds when damaged and assessing the stability of PSCs under different environmental stressors.  

  • Organic photovoltaics. We undertake research to understand how molecular design and nanoscale physics control the performance of organic solar cells, and to use that knowledge to create more efficient, stable, and sustainable solar-energy technologies. 

  • Photoelectrochemical water splitting. We develop novel approaches to create devices that can directly convert solar energy and water into useable fuels, such as hydrogen. This includes using ferroelectrics to enhance charge-carrier separation and increase efficiency, and transforming organic semiconductors from materials used in solar cells into robust photoelectrodes for solar water splitting. 

We work closely with industry partners to ensure the research we generate can be translated into commercial implementation of these exciting emerging technologies. We are also creating impact in this area through AeroSolar Ltd., a spin-out company from the CSE that is commercialising a patented post-treatment method to solve the challenges currently hindering the scale-up of PSCs.