Colourful idea sparks renewable electricity from paint

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.swan.ac.uk/news_centre/LatestResearch/Headline,21753,en.php

Colourful idea sparks renewable electricity from paint

Researchers at Swansea University are developing a new, eco-friendly technology that could generate as much electricity as 50 wind farms.

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Dr Dave Worsley, a Reader in the Materials Research Centre at the University's School of Engineering, is investigating ways of painting solar cells onto the flexible steel surfaces commonly used for cladding buildings.

"We have been collaborating with the steel industry for decades," explains Dr Worsely, "but have tended to focus our attention on improving the long-term durability and corrosion-resistance of the steel. We haven't really paid much attention to how we can make the outside of the steel capable of doing something other than looking good.

"One of our Engineering Doctorate students was researching how sunlight interacts with paint and degrades it, which led to us developing a new photovoltaic method of capturing solar energy."

Unlike conventional solar cells, the materials being developed at Swansea are more efficient at capturing low light radiation, meaning that they are better suited to the British climate.

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