Jun 24 2010
As part of an investment of £120,000 for boosting photovoltaic research, installation work of the Sheffield Solar Farm on the rooftop of the Hicks building of the University of Sheffield has started. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has provided funding for this solar farm, which will feature photovoltaic panels.
The solar panels will benefit photovoltaic researchers, the university as well as developers based in the U.K., who can conduct tests on this solar farm in an effort to further their expertise of renewable energy resources. The main installation of this new solar farm is expected to be completed in July, this year.
Photovoltaics involves utilizing semiconductors including silicon for the creation of energy. When photons from light stike solar cells they get absorbed and this energy is turn transformed into electricity.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Sheffield is already developing novel solar cells utilizing plastics rather than silicon, in order to decrease processing expenses and facilitate the wide-scale use of PV technology. This cross functional research project involves staff from various departments of the university such as geography, chemistry, statistics and mathematics. The staff will collaborate with each other, sharing and transferring knowledge with policy makers, users and developers.