Sicily's Photovoltaics Research Pole

The research groups of Mario Pagliaro at Italy's CNR, Ignazio Licata at ISEM and Leonardo Palmisano at Palermo's University teamed up in December 2007 to constitute Sicily's Photovoltaics Research Pole.

Presented to the pubic (watch the video, 20 MB) on January 23rd, 2008, the new Pole conducts research, educational and marketing activities on new generation solar cells.

Context

The Pole was established to meet huge public interest on solar energy. Host to an impressive cultural heritage, Sicily is a net exporter of the electricity. Yet, the cost of electricity paid by its 5 million inhabitants is among the highest in the EU.

For instance, the average price of electricity as of September 07 was 77,91 Eur/MWh whereas the average price in the rest of the country (Italy) was 69.84 Eur/MWh.

In Italy the cost of electricity is highest in Europe as the country does not produce nuclear power (it shut 4 plants by the late 1980s) and spends 100 billion Eur each year to purchase oil and natural gas. As the price of oil and that of natural gas skyrocketed, companies, citizens and government reacted looking for alternative sources.

Italy has a serious energy problem: most (90%) of the electricity originates from hydrocarbons as practically no cheap carbon is used to generate electricity or heat. In winter 2005, for example, Government ceased supply of natural gas to companies for a few days due to shortage of gas purchased from Russia.

Research: 3rd generation solar cells

Sicily's Photovoltaic Research Pole will contribute to advance R&D in the field to improve efficiency, stability and versatility of new solar cells, starting from dye-sensitized cells (DSC).

Dye solar cells are finally being produced in Europe and commercialized throughout the world; and particularly there where the cost of electricity is high and sun irradiation is pronounced. In place of the traditional installation approach, an integration strategy based on application over all kind of surfaces makes of this technology a crucially important commercial technology.

Marketing

Companies, government and citizens are all potential users of the technology.

The Pole will act as a catalyst to spread the use of new PV technologies througout Sicily. And this will require a constant effort to explain to the market the novelties thereby generated, somehow as it happens in the mobile telco market.

Contact

Dr. Mario Pagliaro
CNR
via U. La Malfa 153
90146 Palermo (PA) - Italy
Phone: +39 091 680 93 70; Fax: +39 091 680 92 47
mario.pagliaro@ismn.cnr.it

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