PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

First commercial installation with Graetzel cell technology

Sustainable Technologies International Ltd. (STI), a solar module start-up based in Queanbeyan near Canberra, Australia, began sales of its dye solar cell technology nearly one year later than expected (see PI 6/2001, p. 22).

»Following several months of manufacturing trials and testing, we received our first order in April this year,« said executive director Sylvia Tulloch. Still, the company is the first to commercialize large-scale modules using Graetzel solar day cells. According to Tulloch, the PV panels, which will adorn a 200 m2 atrium wall at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, were ordered by the Australian house builder the John Holland Group. The Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), based in New South Wales, awarded funds for the project's installation (see ticker).

STI inaugurated their cell and module factory in May 2001. Although the factory was designed to produce 10,000 m2 of solar panels annually, Tulloch does not expect to reach production capacity until late next year. The plant will be operated manually during its first trial; increased levels of automation will follow at a later stage. »We are now raising funds to prepare for stage 2,« Tulloch said, »and we expect to begin ordering equipment in 2003.« The automated line, which is expected to produce an annual capacity of 40,000 m2, will eventually grow to 100,000 m2. Although Tulloch refused to reveal current module efficiencies, she did note that the company anticipates »the annual output [per rated power] of the DSC Solar Wall Panels to be equivalent to mid-range silicon facade modules.« Technical module data sheets from September 2001 showed an efficiency of 5 percent.