Efficient PV-Thermal Micro-concentrator. Australia must reduce its dependence on carbon sources for electricity, heating, and cooling. The PV-thermal hybrid micro-concentrator development will deliver a light-weight, low-profile, cost-effective system that can be installed in almost any situation, with versatile output that can deliver electricity at grid parity as well as providing water heating, space heating, industrial process heat, and solar cooling capabilities. The nation will benefit thr ....Efficient PV-Thermal Micro-concentrator. Australia must reduce its dependence on carbon sources for electricity, heating, and cooling. The PV-thermal hybrid micro-concentrator development will deliver a light-weight, low-profile, cost-effective system that can be installed in almost any situation, with versatile output that can deliver electricity at grid parity as well as providing water heating, space heating, industrial process heat, and solar cooling capabilities. The nation will benefit through enhanced energy independence, international research recognition, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Further, successful commercialisation of this technology will enhance Australia's research standing and provide a good royalty income that will fund future research and development.Read moreRead less
Concepts towards the next generation of dye-sensitised solar cells: tandem and plasmonic solar cells. This project aims at exploring the feasibility of novel device concepts to enhance the performance of dye-sensitised solar cells. These concepts include tandem solar cells as well as novel energy relay systems based on the ability of nanoparticles to effectively act as antenna systems that can funnel energy towards a sensitising dye molecule.
Advanced Sliver Solar Cells. The expected outcome of the proposed research is the development of second generation Sliver solar cell technology, encouraging large commercial impact, which would be of substantial benefit to Australia in terms of export income and employment. Origin Energy has committed >$60 million to the development and commercialisation of the first generation Sliver cell technology. Substantial further commercial investment is expected during scale-up for full scale manufactur ....Advanced Sliver Solar Cells. The expected outcome of the proposed research is the development of second generation Sliver solar cell technology, encouraging large commercial impact, which would be of substantial benefit to Australia in terms of export income and employment. Origin Energy has committed >$60 million to the development and commercialisation of the first generation Sliver cell technology. Substantial further commercial investment is expected during scale-up for full scale manufacturing.
Successful implementation of technology developed during the research will result in the displacement of fossil fuel technologies and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions reduction, assisting Government in its objective to make major cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
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Development of novel cathodes for next generation solid oxide fuel cells. This project will provide novel cathodes to reduce the operating temperature of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) as low as 500 degrees celsius. The technology may lead to widespread utilization of SOFCs, thus providing great assistance to Australia's industries in term of reducing carbon dioxide emission and easing pressure from carbon tax.
Novel fuel-cell structures based on electroactive polymers. This project will tackle some of the challenges currently hindering progression of our society into a post-petroleum era via materials developments that will lead to in-expensive, more efficient fuel cell technologies. Specifically, a new class of organic catalysts and novel ion conducting membranes will be integrated into functional fuel-cells.
Innovative High Temperature Carbon–Air Batteries for High Power Generation. The project intends to develop carbon-air batteries which are expected to have energy density 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries. The battery is designed to use naturally-rich carbon as fuel, highly energy-efficient solid oxide fuel cells as electrochemical reactors, and an integrated mixed conducting ceramic membrane for in situ carbon dioxide separation. The success of this project would provide us with a low-carbo ....Innovative High Temperature Carbon–Air Batteries for High Power Generation. The project intends to develop carbon-air batteries which are expected to have energy density 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries. The battery is designed to use naturally-rich carbon as fuel, highly energy-efficient solid oxide fuel cells as electrochemical reactors, and an integrated mixed conducting ceramic membrane for in situ carbon dioxide separation. The success of this project would provide us with a low-carbon energy system based on Australia’s rich coal resources. New knowledge about carbon dioxide separation may also facilitate carbon dioxide sequestration in other fields.Read moreRead less
Innovative high-efficiency hybrid technology for commercial solar cells. The purpose of this project is to develop improved photovoltaic devices of significantly higher efficiency and lower cost than conventional screen-printed solar cells. This in turn will contribute to greatly reduced electricity costs from non fossil-fuel based sources.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100620
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
Hydrogen passivation mechanisms in silicon solar cells. This project aims to understand hydrogen passivation mechanisms in silicon solar cells. Most silicon solar cells use low-quality wafers with defects that can reduce performance by >10%. Commercial devices use hydrogen to passivate defects and improve performance. Despite decades of research, these passivation mechanisms are controversial and industrial methods are ineffective. This project will investigate hydrogen charge-state control and ....Hydrogen passivation mechanisms in silicon solar cells. This project aims to understand hydrogen passivation mechanisms in silicon solar cells. Most silicon solar cells use low-quality wafers with defects that can reduce performance by >10%. Commercial devices use hydrogen to passivate defects and improve performance. Despite decades of research, these passivation mechanisms are controversial and industrial methods are ineffective. This project will investigate hydrogen charge-state control and transient hydrogenation processes, and correlate reaction rates and material properties. This should improve the understanding of hydrogen passivation mechanisms and lead to more effective hydrogenation processes that potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of sustainable electricity.Read moreRead less
Thermal management of methane fuelled planar solid oxide fuel cells. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are novel devices for generating energy with extremely low emissions. This project will conduct novel experiments and numerical simulations to improve the efficiency of SOFCs. This will then allow wider adoption of this technology, thus reducing CO2 and other environmental emissions from our power generation systems.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100268
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Advanced Recombination-based Loss Analysis Methods for Solar Cells. Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are too expensive to become a viable solution for the challenges facing humanity. Increasing solar cell efficiency can reduce the cost of PV-generated power. Improved efficiency requires the ability to identify and quantify loss mechanisms, many of which are recombination related. Thus, innovative analysis methods need to be developed to facilitate improved understanding and identification of variou ....Advanced Recombination-based Loss Analysis Methods for Solar Cells. Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are too expensive to become a viable solution for the challenges facing humanity. Increasing solar cell efficiency can reduce the cost of PV-generated power. Improved efficiency requires the ability to identify and quantify loss mechanisms, many of which are recombination related. Thus, innovative analysis methods need to be developed to facilitate improved understanding and identification of various loss mechanisms. The project aims to investigate recombination processes that deteriorate solar cells performance, using a novel measurement system in combination with advanced simulation tools. The project aims to assist with development of advanced processes to improve device performance.Read moreRead less