Swansea University and Tata Steel launch solar project

The solar roofing panels would enable buildings to generate, store and release their own secure electricity supply. This could reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy and ease pressure on the National Grid, as surplus power generated by a building can be used to charge up electric vehicles.

Named ‘Active Buildings’, the concept has reportedly shown success in the operation of two buildings on the Swansea University campus for several years. The new research aims to explore the technology’s potential further and accelerate the process of turning it into products for industry to manufacture.

Traditional solar cells are manufactured from silicon, which is expensive and requires a lot of energy to produce. But a new, highly efficient type of cell, called a perovskite solar cell (PSC), is a cheaper and lighter alternative. PSCs can be made locally using widely available materials and manufacturing them emits less than half the carbon compared to a silicon cell.