TBB.2018 Pitching session
Renewable energies
Swedish Algae Factory
An innovative material that boosts the efficiency of solar cells — based on the nanoporous silica shell that surrounds a specific strain of the diatom, an algae species that grows well at the bottom of the dark and cold Nordic seas.
Commercialised by
Swedish Algae Factory
Gotheburg
Anders Perssonsgata 12, 41664 Gothenburg, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
Sustainable developement goals
Algae-inspired efficiency enhancement for solar cells
Visit siteThe need
Solar panels are known to be inefficient. They only transform 15%-20 % of the light that hits them into electricity.
The solution
The nanoporous silica shell from an algae species that thrives in cold dark Nordic seas is a material naturally designed to trap light efficiently to enable the algae to survive. When incorporated into solar cells and solar panels, the light trapping ability is increased and the efficiency enhanced. The material is produced in a process where wastewater is treated and an organic biomass produced that is able to be utilised in a variety of applications beneficial for society.
The value proposition
- Environmentally-friendly produced natural nanomaterial.
- Increased efficiency of solar cells.
- Lower cost of solar energy.