ECN: OzoFab
Ozofab
Studying manufacturing techniques for organic solar cells
The aim of this project is to develop techniques that enable large-scale manufacturing of organic solar cells. Organic solar cells can be printed the same way as newspapers, which will make them very cheap’; this is a statement that is often written in popular technical articles. This assertion fits in well with the R2R manufacturing process that is studied in this project.
To lay solid foundations for this expectation, a design will be made for a cost model for the production of organic solar cells. The cost model will be developed at the beginning of the project and provide preliminary insight in the critical and dominant aspects that determine the cost. Based on progressing insights, the cost model will be updated at the end of the project.
The selection of various materials and concepts, which were studied from a technological viewpoint in previous work packages, will also be mapped from an ecological point of view. To this end a life cycle analysis is conducted, which will provide information on the environmental impact (emission of greenhouse gas and other ecotoxic gases, soil acidification, etcetera) resulting from the various materials and process choices, taking the entire process chain into account (cradle-to-grave).
In the build-up towards commercialization of technical developments an impasse may occur in a number of stages in the trajectory from R&D towards commercialization, which are called valley-of-death. Research will be dedicated to establishing which aspects for organic solar cells play a role in the occurrence of these valleys-of-death and which measures could be taken to prevent them.
For more information please contact Koen Schoots.
Ozofab is cofunded by AgentschapNL's Energieonderzoeksubsidie: Grant Agreement 10023
