Clear route to power

A thin layer of organic photovoltaic (PV) film applied to the windows and rooftops of homes and businesses around the world has the potential to generate solar energy at radically lower costs.

That, at least, is the hope of the

, which recently launched a £5m development project to further the potential of organic PV technology to deliver electricity.

The project, led by

and

(TTP) aims to increase the efficiency and lifespan of organic PV technology. The team will also devise a manufacturing technique to produce organic PVs in an inexpensive and energy-efficient way.

Organic PV power sources have become increasingly popular because they have the potential to be much less expensive to produce than their silicon-based counterparts. However, the drawback is that plastic cannot accommodate an electric current as reliably as silicon.

Most silicon solar cells are able to generate electricity with more than 10 per cent efficiency, while current laboratory polymer cells have only been able to achieve two to five per cent efficiency — and it will be a greater challenge to achieve results of this sort outside the lab.