Ann: Dyesol in Germany - On the Starting Grid , page-21

Corus to build large OPV demonstrator in 2010
Sara Ver-Bruggen - 26 Oct 2009

In early 2010 Corus Colours, part of Tata-owned Corus Steel in Wales, is planning to build a large-scale demonstrator of solar cells as a result of its R&D partnership with Dyesol.
The two companies have been collaborating in a Welsh Assembly-funded project to make solar cells on steel for the building industry, which is one of Corus Colours' main markets.

The solar cells are based on dye-impregnated titanium dioxide materials developed by Australia-based Dyesol for commercial applications, ranging from building integrated photovoltaics to consumer electronics integrated power sources.

Corus Colours, at its plant in Shotton, north Wales, is building a roll-to-roll line that will make the OPVs on flexible steel strips, adapting coating techniques the company uses to prime steel for roofing.

Because Corus Colours has plenty of roof space at its site the demonstrator will be several hundred square metres in size.

Potential clients and commercial partners from the building industry will be invited to visit the site to see the demonstrator in action.

Business development at Corus Colours will begin in mid-2010, to announce and market actual roofing products integrated with the solar cells.


Commercial roofing products based on Corus Colours' and Dyesol's collaboration will most likely be used on warehouse and industrial building roofs first to provide them with sustainable power. New build residential housing, which accounts for under 1% of all buildings in the UK, could also be built with these solar panels.

The retrofit residential building market is promising too because it is so large and because products made from Corus Colours' dye solar cells will be much lighter than existing rigid silicon PV panels, making them easier to fit to existing structures that were not originally designed for supporting solar panels.

Dyesol and Corus started working together in 2007 to complete the feasibility of coating steel with solar cells. Since then, several of Dyesol's engineers and scientists have been seconded to Shotton to work with the Corus Colours team on the project.

As the partnership progresses towards making products next year and beyond, the project could be spun out of Corus to maximise its chances of commercial success.