Researchers at Bath are to be part of a new UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) which aims to create mini power stations out of buildings.
Chemists from the University’s Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) are deploying their expertise in energy materials and photovoltaic (PV) devices to develop low cost, sustainable solar cells that harvest sunlight to create electricity.
The SPECIFIC IKC, led by Swansea University, will develop functional coatings on steel and glass to incorporate into existing and new buildings, enabling walls and roofs to generate, store and release energy.
Currently, buildings with solar panels create electricity and sell excess energy back to the national grid. The SPECIFIC IKC aims to develop technology that allows buildings to store excess energy to use when it is needed. This means that the building can rely on a continuous sustainable energy source even when there is no sunshine.
Enabling buildings to generate their own sustainable energy could reduce the UK’s CO2 output by millions of tonnes a year.
In addition to Bath and Swansea, the partnership of academic and industrial expertise includes Imperial College London, Bangor, Cardiff, Glyndwr and Sheffield and multi-nationals such as Tata Steel, BASF, and NSG Pilkington.
The IKC will enable engineers, scientists and business people to work together to exploit world-class research expertise in developing and testing technology that the market wants.
The £20m, five-year project is backed by £10m funding from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board.
Professor Matthew Davidson, Director of the CSCT at Bath, said: “Bath’s close involvement in SPECIFIC is an exciting new partnership because it provides a unique opportunity for our fundamental expertise in solar energy conversion to be applied to new manufacturing processes that will have real economic, environmental and social impact.
“In addition, we are delighted to be contributing to SPECIFIC’s innovative mix of scientists, engineers and industrialists, through collaborative PhD projects based in our EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre.”
Business Secretary Vince Cable met researchers including Professor Matthew Davidson (2nd left) at the official launch of the SPECIFIC IKC
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “The Government’s £10million backing of the SPECIFIC project shows what can be achieved when world class university research comes together with the private sector.
“This centre will speed up the commercialisation of innovative industrial coatings, creating a whole new manufacturing sector and new business opportunities, not to mention long-term environmental benefits, including turning buildings into sources of power.
“We are committed to investing in high value, high tech sectors where the UK can gain a competitive advantage and promote economic growth.”