Wednesday, November 04, 2009 at 12:50:38 PM - by Nate Lew

The company that designed dye-sensitive solar cells, G24i, is partnering with research institutes in China to enhance the commercial viability of its new solar power technology.

DSSCs, also called Graetzel cells after their inventor Michael Graetzel, were developed at the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, Switzerland. Graetzel called the partnership "a major step toward inexpensive and large-scale commercialization" of the cells.

One of the researchers in Lausanne was Peng Wang, now a professor at the China National Academy of Nanotechnology and Engineering (CNANE) and the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC). The two institutions, with the Nanotechnology Industrialization Base of China, will assist G24i in tackling "development challenges," in the words of G24i CEO John Hartnett.

The three Chinese institutions hope to refine the design and manufacture of DSSCs to make them commercially profitable. Professor Xu Jianzhong, president of CNANE and NIBC, noted Peng's "great work" in nanotechnology. But his "research team doesn't focus on manufacturing," says Xu, "and that's why we want to work together with G24i."

DSSCs are strong and lightweight. They produce electricity in low-light conditions, unlike conventional solar panels. According to G24i, DSSCs can provide solar power in personal electronics, construction and military applications.