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Research Councils and the Energy Funding LandscapeCase Study: Molecular Photovoltaics
• Address the following:
• How does RC funded research relate to / feed into / bring about innovation in the field of molecular photovoltaics?
• What have been the bottlenecks in achieving research innovation in practice?
• What is needed to make it work better in future?
Research Councils and the Energy Funding LandscapeCase Study: Molecular Photovoltaics
• “Molecular photovoltaics” = dye sensitised, organic, small molecule, hybrid photovoltaic device concepts and underpinning materials science (aka “excitonic”, organic, “Third generation”, plastic)
• Selected as an example of a “science inspired” research area in energy (rather than a user inspired or market driven area)
200 nm
Research Council Support for Molecular Photovoltaics
• Supported largely through basic research (Physical Sciences) programme and Energy programme.
• Supergen, Grand Challenges (energy), Material for Energy, ...
• Excitonic Supergen consortia: £1.1m (2005-2009), £3.34m (209-2013)
• Responsive mode and challenge calls: e.g. £29m of projects in molecular photovoltaics part supported by EPSRC ‘Materials for Energy Applications’ area over 2005-2012
• Large fraction of RC funded basic materials science of molecular semiconductors covered in these projects
• Universities involved: Imperial, Cambridge, Sheffield, Manchester, Bath, Oxford, St Andrews, Warwick, Durham, UCL, Loughborough, Brunel, …
Research Council Support for Molecular Photovoltaics
• Intended outcomes of RC funded research programmes
Our aim is to construct affordable demonstration hybrid solar cells that could be mass-produced with long-term potential to achieve energy conversion efficiency of 10%.
High-efficiency Hybrid Solar Cells for Micro-generation. Manchester & Imperial, 2007-2011
We anticipate the outcome of our work will be a materials set and a scalable process for high speed OPV manufacture.
Polymer / fullerene photovoltaic devices: new materials and innovative processes for high-volume manufacture. Sheffield. 2011-2015
This combined new approach will .. allow significant improvements to be made to specific SDSC designs, but also deliver a more general framework for .. optimization.
Probing and enhancing charge generation and transport in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Oxford, 2010-2013
Devices
Design rules
Materials and processes
Research Council Support for Molecular Photovoltaics
• Intended outcomes of RC funded research programmes
• Delivering device concepts, design rules, new materials and process routes intended for application in commercial molecular photovoltaics development
Devices
Design rules
Materials and processes
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• Provides a common understanding of technology status • Risk management • Used to make decisions concerning technology funding • Used to make decisions concerning transition of technology
Disadvantages:• More reporting, paperwork, reviews • Relatively new, takes time to influence the system • Systems engineering not addressed in early TRLs
Research Councils fund up to TRL2/3; The TSB+RCUK is funding up to TRL4/5
Commercialisation: Technology Readiness Levels
Courtesy of Peter Dobson
Commercialisation: Typical Cost/Time Profile of a Spin-Off that manufactures things (2012)
• University research phase £1-2M, 2-3 years RC funded
• £1-2M start-up funds, 2 years with milestones (note this is harder in 2012/3 than in 2000)
• £5M-£10M over ~3 years with milestones
• Discovery, invention, IP filed, some market info. Find a future CEO
• Acquire premises, build team (10-12), equipment, serious market info. Generate IP, retain University contact. Use TSB schemes to reduce burn-rate?Have paying customers?
• Move/extend, restructure Board, build team especially sales/marketing and retain University contacts.Established customer base
Courtesy of Peter Dobson
Innovation in molecular PV: Who develops the technology?
• TSB and TSB:EPSRC co funded projects: Universities as partners– E.g. solar grand challenge projects 2011-2014
• Start ups: Universities involved in spinning out ideas– OPV: Eight19, Solar Press, Molecular Photovoltaics; Ossila– DSSC: Oxford Photovoltaics
• Bigger companies: Universities as consultants or partners in TSB or EU projects– E.g. Tata developing in building integrated dye cell products; G24i indoor chargers– Materials or component suppliers (NSG, Merck)– Watching brief and investment through university research projects e.g. Solvay
Driving Innovation
TRL
MAIN FUNDER
MFGReadiness
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
RESEARCH COUNCILS TSB RDA and BUSINESS
Basic Idea Concept Developed
Experimental Proof of Concept
Process Validated
in Laboratory
Process Validated
on Production Equipment
Process Capability
on Production Equipment
Capability Validated
on Economic
Runs
Capability Validated
over Range of Parts
Capability Validated
on Full Range of Parts over
Long Periods
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
COLLABORATIVER&D Projects
COMPANY BASED
TSB ScopeRDA =Regional Development Agency
Or Demonstrator
2
Innovation in molecular PV: problems
• TSB etc:– TSB funding limited and thinly spread– …
• Start ups:– Shortage of ‘early risk’ funding in the UK– Investors used to software based technology companies. Manufacturing is more
complicated and expensive– Difficulty in acquiring funds to proceed to stage two.– …
• Bigger companies:– Lack of incentives for large companies to invest in PV commercialisation in the UK– Cost reductions in silicon PV reduce incentive to develop new PV technologies– …
Relating RC funded research in molecular PV to innovation
• How well is this working?
• Where are the gaps?
• Discussion 1: Reflect on what has been happening
• Discussion 2: what could be done to make it better
Contrast between manufacturing and software-based
• Needs a broader range of skills
• Needs a large premises with capital equipment
• Time to market usually long • Has supply chain issues• More likely to have
regulatory and IP issues• Product changes are slow
• Skills range narrower and fewer people needed
• Office space or even home working possible
• Fast time to market• Seldom have supply chain
issues• Less likely IP/Regulatory
issues• Product changes are regular
and fast
If you are an Investor, which of these do you prefer?
Contrast between manufacturing and software-based
• The IP routes are very well understood
• Regulatory frameworks accommodate most products
• IP situation is changing from a “copyright” base to a more conventional Patent route
• Problems can arise with embedded “freeware”
• Regulations are having to assess software
How do we judge the readiness of an idea or product for market?
• There is widespread adoption of a system developed by NASA
• We need to have some decision-lines or stage-gating to plan development
• Remember that the costs scale:research: development: production
1 : 10 : 100Solar cell manufacturing is having to revise these
numbers upwards
Driving Innovation
TRL
MAIN FUNDER
MFGReadiness
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
RESEARCH COUNCILS TSB RDA and BUSINESS
Basic Idea Concept Developed
Experimental Proof of Concept
Process Validated
in Laboratory
Process Validated
on Production Equipment
Process Capability
on Production Equipment
Capability Validated
on Economic
Runs
Capability Validated
over Range of Parts
Capability Validated
on Full Range of Parts over
Long Periods
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
COLLABORATIVER&D Projects
COMPANY BASED
TSB ScopeRDA =Regional Development Agency
Or Demonstrator
2
Innovation and “Stage Gating” Process
Note that RDAs no longer exist!
The Problems!
• There is not enough early risk money in the UK, and the TSB funds are spread too thinly.
• There is a danger of the second funding gap between TSB support and major Venture funding.
• Making “stuff” requires large investment and takes time.• Solar cell FIT has benefitted Chinese suppliers and had a detrimental effect
on investment in generation 2 and 3 devices
Slides for Jenny Nelson
From Peter Dobson(Oxford University and RCUK)
Research Council Support for Molecular Photovoltaics
• Supported largely through basic research (Physical Sciences) programme and Energy programme.
• Supergen, Grand Challenges (energy), Material for Energy, ...
• Excitonic Supergen consortia: £1.1m (2005-2009), £3.34m (209-2013)SUPERGEN Materials for Energy Solar technology
Excitonic Supergen Consortia, I and II
Supergen Solar Hub (minor part)
£xx m funding toward yy proposals (part funding)
£xx m funding toward yy proposals (part funding)
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