Irish firm in landmark research deal with Taiwanese government

Collaboration

Dublin-based SolarPrint, a specialist in photovoltaic energy technologies, has entered into a research partnership agreement with Taiwan’s government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), for the joint development of new photovoltaic products that can be used in consumer devices, such as mobile phones and laptops.

Mazhar Bari, CEO of SolarPrint, said, “Our goal is to become a genuine leader in the next generation of solar technology, not just in Ireland but internationally. Having already filed patents [on] our new photovoltaic [technology], we are now raising funding to help move towards high-volume production of photovoltaic materials next year.”

SolarPrint’s technology makes it possible to screen print solar cells onto thin films, which are much cheaper to produce and far easier to install than silicon-based photovoltaics.

Bari said the technology has the potential to generate energy at a lower cost than other forms of solar power.

“By partnering with ITRI, whose record in the field of R&D speaks for itself, we are now looking to define precisely how our solar cell technology can operate in the consumer applications space,” he said.