Harnessing the ‘free energy’ of the sun, together with the application of engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and computational modelling, the cluster is directing its research to sustainable energy production. The research group’s work programme is subdivided into four research strands with tasks which parallel the sequence of steps observed in photosynthesis. The first three strands focus on the fabrication and characterisation of energy related materials and the objectives of the fourth strand will focus on the development of commercially viable solar energy modules. The Cluster is led by Professor Don MacElroy, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, and the team comprises a large number of academic co-PIs, funded researchers, collaborators, postdoctoral researchers, PhD and MSc research students.
The Solar Energy Conversion (SEC) Cluster has received funding through Science Foundation Ireland’s Strategic Research Programme of €4.7 million over 5 years, with industry contribution in excess of €0.5M to date. The Cluster will also bring in funding through EU FP7 programmes and for personnel through Marie Curie and IRCSET awards.
The Solar Cluster aims to provide a solution to the era-defining need of our time: stable and secure energy supply. The Cluster will utilise free solar energy for:
To date, significant progress has been made in the synthesis and characterisation of materials, development of test devices/cells and models for these devices and materials, all underpinned by IP capture and publications. These technology developments give Ireland the opportunity to realise a global impact in solar technologies.
The Solar Cluster is based on a strong collaboration between a number of schools in UCD together with Dublin City University and the University of Limerick (MSSI). In addition, the Cluster has an increasing base of industry partners, including SolarPrint, Celtic Catalysts, SSE Renewables, Glantreo, Kingspan and Mainstream Renewable Power.
