Project R-6023

Porphyrinoid materials for printable electronics (Research)

The ever-rising energy requirement is a universal problem. In 2011, the total global energy consumption amounted to around 12000 MTOE (million ton oil equivalents), corresponding with 500 ExaJoule, while the energy production was estimated around 12500 MTOE. Calculations for 2030 predict an energy consumption of around 17000 MTOE, in other words 700 ExaJoule, and clearly indicate imminent problems. 1 The combination of a rising world population and emerging economies result in a rising emission of greenhouse gasses and a fast depletion of the current primary energy sources. 2 To cope with the increased energy demand and to prevent further pollution, a switch to durable energy sources is of utmost importance. Due to the global and inexhaustible availability, solar energy is regarded as a prominent durable energy source in place of fossil fuels. On this moment, (the current crystalline Si) solar cells offer only a limited contribution to the total energy production. Further development of this technology is hindered by multiple factors, being the scarcity of high purity materials, thick silicon wafers and expensive production techniques, while large scale commercialization is mainly limited by the absence of high throughput production equipment.

01 January 2015 - 31 December 2018