ARENA grants $6 million to Greatcell to advance perovskites

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Praised for their low manufacturing costs and high power-conversion efficiency and decried for the lack of operational stability and sensitivity to temperature and moisture, perovskite solar cells are still waiting for an upgrade to a commercial level. Now, with the funding unleashed under the Advancing Renewables Program (ARP), Greatcell will work towards this goal, accelerating its scale-up and prototyping activities.

A total of $6 million allocated by the the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will, according to Greatcell, assist in developing a world-class prototype facility in Australia for the fabrication of high quality, large area, current generation and next generation perovskite devices, an essential prerequisite to large scale manufacture.

“Securing the ARENA grant is a vital step in the relentless drive to establish Perovskite Solar Cell PV as a key technology in the renewable energy mix. Above all, the technology is cost competitive with both fossil fuels and alternative renewable energy sources. Greatcell is leading the world in the commercialisation of disruptive and game changing renewable energy technology. We are indebted to the Australian government’s vision and financial support,” Richard Caldwell, Greatcell Solar Managing Director, remarked.

The funding for the project dubbed ‘Perovskite Solar Cell Technology – Large Area Module Development Project’ follows ARENA’s earlier grant of $450,000 for Greatcell, formerly Dyesol, to prove perovskite solar cells were both efficient and stable, confirming the potential viability and cost-competitiveness of developing them for commercial-scale manufacture.

Earlier this year, the Australian company received another major financial boost involving a $2.5 million grant in support of a project entitled ‘Large Area Perovskite Photovoltaic Material Coating on Glass Substrate’ administered by the Australian Department of Industry.   

Back in July, Greatcell signed a non-exclusive MoU with JinkoSolar, based on which the Chinese solar PV manufacturer was given access to the company’s developmental perovskite solar cells, with a long term goal to strike a formal agreement to commercialize the technology and establish large scale manufacturing.

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