A brighter future
As the world urgently seeks renewable energy solutions, the ACES project emerges as a pivotal innovation. Backed by Innovation Fund Denmark, the project aims to transform the efficiency and affordability of silicon solar cells, potentially saving global energy expenditures and marking a crucial step forward in renewable energy technology.
The project addresses the solar industry's significant challenges: the high cost and inefficiency of current technology. By innovating the transition from silver to copper in solar cell metallization and pioneering new edge passivation techniques, the ACES team is poised to unlock remarkable efficiency and cost savings. This development elevates Denmark's role in solar technology and substantially contributes to worldwide environmental sustainability efforts.
DTU’s role
The grant will support research into replacing traditional silver used in solar cell contacts with copper, significantly reducing costs. Additionally, the project will pioneer advanced techniques for edge passivation, which minimizes energy loss at the cell edges, enhancing overall cell efficiency.
This research is pivotal in the global transition to sustainable energy sources. By lowering the cost and improving the efficiency of solar cells, DTU’s efforts align with global sustainability goals and directly support the increased adoption of solar energy, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and reliance on non-renewable resources.
The project positions itself at the forefront of materials science and sustainable energy research. By focusing on the less explored areas of contact engineering and surface passivation, DTU is helping to push the boundaries of what's technically feasible in photovoltaic technology.
Grand expectations
With the successful implementation of copper metallization and innovative passivation techniques, our team anticipates a demonstrable improvement in solar cell performance. These advancements are expected to lead to a reduction in solar electricity costs and enhanced solar cell longevity, providing substantial benefits to the energy sector.
Senior Researcher Gisele Benatto, along with her team at DTU, is excited about the potential impacts of their work, stating, "This project not only aims to improve the technology but also makes solar energy more accessible and efficient, which is crucial for achieving a sustainable future".
