Optical Transfer of Heat with Electrical and Light Output (OTHELLO)

The proposal's primary goal is to conduct the research to prove the viability of concentrating the Infra-Red (IR) frequencies that can be captured through thin film Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar panels, allowing industry to establish a route to market for combined PV and solar thermal (PVT) panels that co-generate electricity and high temperature heat. This development of an electrically and thermally efficient high temperature static PVT system will rapidly, at scale, address the energy trilemma.
>The primary objective is to use thin film CdTe's outstanding ability to both efficiently and cost-effectively convert the shorter solar wavelengths to electricity, while leaving, as far as possible, longer wavelengths available to generate high temperatures through concentration.
>The secondary objective is to consider how modules could be configured to reduce manufacturing costs to facilitate rapid global rollout.
>The third objective is to consider to what extent the research would be applicable to Perovskite which has the potential to be efficient at similar wavelengths and with even lower costs.

Who will benefit from this research? The OTHELLO laboratory demonstration will show the UK to be leading the advancement of combined solar PV and solar thermal technology, bringing significant value to a market, which is currently dominated by solar PV product being manufactured in the Far East. There is a growing realisation in Europe that we must lead on "added value" PV and solar energy products to regain some of the early impetus of the European PV industry. OTHELLO would put the UK at the centre of this drive to regain the impetus for manufacturing of solar energy products. This will also support the generation of jobs and skills in an area which is considered to be key for the UK, i.e. renewable energy. Utilising the capability developed at the CSER, Swansea University will generate jobs in this region, with the potential for a University spin out and linking with major materials and PV manufacturers, such as NSG and Calyxo.
The main beneficiaries are therefore: >CSER and its research community, particularly in Wales, with its strong reputation for renewable technologies. >The UK industrial and technology research community, including companies such as Palliser Engineers that actively seek to take under-exploited research (photonics in particular) to the market place. This community includes a long-standing relationship with Exeter University's Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), experts in optics and the testing of solar systems. >UK manufacturers of PV materials particularly companies such as PolySolar and NSG, that assemble and install thin film panels such as the ones in this Project across a wide range of locations and buildings. >Retailers such as Absotherm, the UK's sole agent for Yazaki, that market heat driven coolers and are receiving widespread demand from customers for solar driven air conditioning that has so far been hard to supply. >Innovative UK property developers who have reason to consider the efficiencies and space savings that PVT solutions can provide (noting that PVT is a much smaller market in the UK than separate PV and solar thermal systems). >People across the developing world that are part of the rapid urbanization and. industrialization in their countries. >People in developing countries who continue to suffer from unreliable and vulnerable infrastructure, particularly electrical grids that cannot meet the growth in demand.
How will they benefit? CSER will benefit by growing its research portfolio in technologies that are already associated with the region and that will keep solar in the forefront of the fight against runaway climate change. UK industrial players and SMEs will have the quality of research that allows their innovations to be realized, validated and progressed in timescales that match the ever-faster growth in demand. Those marketing heat driven products, whether coolers or heat storage solutions, will be able to respond to customer demand and offer a whole new range of environmentally clean solutions, whether to improve air quality, reduce carbon footprints or provide security of service for people seeking more attractive lifestyles in the developing world.
What will be done to ensure they benefit? As soon as this research proves to be successful, industry can follow its plan to interface with both emerging and proven heat storage technologies (including Swansea's SPECIFIC), address how best to mount PVT solutions on different types of building and offer suitable deals across many countries, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, for the manufacturing and deployment of domestic and light industrial systems. It is emphasized that Absotherm, one of the companies supporting this Project, has direct access to manufacturing and product distribution in countries such as Ghana.