Replacing silver in solar panels with cheaper, more plentiful copper could provide affordable and efficient rooftop solar power to consumers, according to a Sydney-based startup that aims to turn Australia into a solar manufacturing powerhouse.
SunDrive’s ambition to become Australia’s leading manufacturer of copper solar panels has attracted the interest of some of the country’s most prominent renewable energy backers, including Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and family co-founder Cameron Adams.
They all participated in a recent $21 million capital raising, led by venture capital firm Main Sequence and government-owned Clean Energy Finance Corporation to help SunDrive get large-scale production ready to sell its boards in 18 months.
Turnbull described SunDrive’s use of copper instead of solar power as a “potential game-changing factor” in the global race to produce more efficient and scalable solar technology.
David is from SunDrive, left, and Vince Allen. attributed to him:
The solar industry currently accounts for about 10 percent of global demand for silver, with the International Energy Agency estimating that could reach 30 percent if the world accelerates all the way to net zero.
“People in the scientific community have recognized for a very long time that silver is unsustainable,” said SunDrive co-founder Vince Allen, who dedicated his Ph.D. to finding a way to replace silver with copper after becoming interested in the dilemma while in college.
Under the guidance of supervisor Allison Lennon and solar engineering pioneer Stuart Wenham, Allen found a way to make copper ‘stick’ to photovoltaic panels, a feat that has eluded researchers for years.
But instead of continuing to earn a Ph.D., which ultimately requires sharing his findings with the public, he moved the intellectual property he developed to his garage and co-founded SunDrive with former roommate David Ho.
By cutting out silver, which Allen estimates accounts for about half the cost of manufacturing solar cells, the pair have created a product that can compete with high-quality panels manufactured in China in terms of price and efficiency: SunDrive says its panels convert more than 25 percent of sunlight received into energy, a world record when independently tested in September 2021. By comparison, industrial-standard panels on most suburban rooftops convert about 20 percent.
Originally published at Melbourne News Vine
No comments:
Post a Comment