Solar cells of this kind are made up of thin layers on a substrate of ordinary window glass, and are expected to generate electricity at much lower cost than is possible with current technology. Behind their development is the Ångström Solar Centre (ÅSC), a Mistra-funded research programme, while the foundations for the pioneering production process have been laid by the spin-off company Solibro. Now the German solar cells company Q-Cells is investing €60 million in the construction of a plant to manufacture cells based on the Uppsala researchers´ design. The factory will be built in Thalheim in Germany, while related research will continue to be undertaken in Sweden.
One investor that has previously put money into Solibro is the Sixth AP Fund, a Swedish pension fund.
‘Obviously there are several aspects to this deal. Admittedly, you could say it´s a shame no Swedish companies were interested in manufacturing these solar cells, but for our part we´re delighted that the company can now move from research to production,´ says Erling Gustafsson, the Sixth AP Fund´s Managing Director.
In general, he adds, it is important to make sure research results feed through into commercial products.
‘And on top of that, of course, we´ll be earning money that will help pay for a lot of people´s pensions.´