Fraunhofer Introduces Screen-printed Dye Solar Module

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE will be presenting a door-sized prototype solar module at Tokyo's Nanotech 2008 conference. The new semi-transparent technology features nanoparticles and organic dye which are used to create colors, images, or text and generate electricity.

Potential applications include decorative building facades or placement in windows, where they also function as window shades, reducing glare. Using a technique similar to screen-printing, the nanoparticles allow any logo, image, or pattern to be directly integrated into the electricity-producing film.

Right now the prototype achieves only four percent efficiency, however preliminary fatigue tests indicate the semi-transparent modules will be durable. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft researchers developed the dye solar module as part of the ColorSol project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF.

[Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft]