Perovskite, as a high-profile emerging PV material, can be coated on the surface of various substrates. Swansea University and Tata Steel Limited have recently unfolded a new partnership in the hope of developing solar cells that can be applied directly onto steel, thus facilitating power generation on construction materials, which can be regarded as a new BIPV solution.

Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President of New Materials Business at Tata Steel Limited, had signed a 3-year research MOM with the Swansea University, hoping to lower the steel industry’s impact on the environment. Dave Worsley, Head of Department Materials and Engineering at Swansea University, also proposed another vision at the same time.

The research team hopes to build internal solar systems for buildings in the future, instead of installing external devices onto the walls. As pointed out by Worsley, perovskite solar can be internally applied in the structure of homes, stores, and offices thanks to its printable feature. Having now known the validity of the concept, the partnership with Tata Steel Limited can develop new steel products with better potential in power generation under a faster progress.

The research team of Swansea University will be applying its experience in perovskite materials and solar cell printing, while Tata Steel Limited will focus on the supply chain of materials, as well as improve on the steel coating so as to deposit solar cells on the top. This is not the first partnership between the two parties, as they had worked on various projects pertaining to steel production and renewable energy in the past.

Sumitesh Das, Director of Tata Steel UK R&D, pointed out, “We are excited of the possibilities that perovskite brings, especially with the integration of different architectural and construction solutions by Tata Steel. Working with a solar technology that represents green is an important first step for us in attaining the net zero target.”

 (Cover photo source: pixabay)