Scientists developing more efficient solar energy solutions

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James McCusker
Professor of Chemistry
Michigan State University

A collaboration of chemists, mathematicians and engineers at Michigan State University backed by stimulus funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to improve solar panel technology.  The scientists will focus on developing methods for making a new class of solar cells from cheaper materials

"For renewable energy to succeed, it has to get to a point where it is economically competitive with current technology," says chemistry professor James McCusker, the project leader. "This means we need totally transformational technologies."

Today’s solar panels use silicon as their primary light absorber.  Silicon is extremely pure, but also very costly.  Electricity produced by solar panels today costs two or three times as much as energy produced by coal.

And that is the heart of the problem according to McCusker.  Coal, the world’s most abundant fossil fuel and is not going to run out anytime soon, is also the dirtiest.  The challenge is to find non-carbon intensive options to replace coal that are also economical and able to be used on a broad scale.

"With estimates showing global power consumption tripling by 2050, we need to have scalable approaches that balance cost efficiency with environmental stewardship," McCusker said. "Only solar can be scalable to the amounts required."

Solar energy is plentiful, if underutilized: The amount that hits the Earth's surface in one hour equals the energy humans consume in a year.

McCusker’s research group, which includes chemical engineer Lawrence Drzal, chemist Greg Baker, and mathematicians Keith Promislow and Andrew Christlieb, is developing a solar cell based on a design that combines a dye with an inexpensive semiconductor – titanium dioxide – instead of silicon. Titanium dioxide is an opaque white pigment commonly used in paint and other consumer products. Applying advanced materials and nanoparticle technology can make electron conduction more efficient, researchers said. The efficiency of these devices is around 11 percent, McCusker said, but that requires using a liquid electrolyte. His project will use a more efficient and inexpensive solid-state material.  Watch McCusker discuss his research>>

McCusker’s ARRA grant from the NSF is for $1.9 million.  Learn more >>