FEATURE STORY
OFF TO THE RACES
Once they’re developed at a commercial level—and several companies have already approached UBC—these unique biogenic solar cells would work effectively in low-light settings such as mines or deep-sea exploration. But most of the excitement is around their use in places like Vancouver—and Whistler—as well as much of Canada and the northern U.S., northern Europe, the U.K., and parts of New Zealand where cloudy skies are common. “This is perfect for a place like Whistler … When you use these materials in overcast conditions where you don’t have a lot of energy descending on solar cells, they’re able to function as well as they do in direct sunlight,” says Yadav, who reminds us he’s referring to biogenic cells once they’re manufactured as solar panels, which may be only three to five years away. “It’s not like you spent a lot of money and installed a lot of solar panels, and you find out that for most of the year these things are not able to generate enough electricity because it’s too overcast,” he says. Conventional solar panels do generate electricity under cloudy, foggy or overcast skies, but they average around only 10 to 25 per cent of their rated capacity, depending on the panel and conditions. “The big advantage here is you get a return on the investment you make on the infrastructure, which is critical for regions that are thinking about solar,” Yadav adds. “Climate change is one argument. But another important argument that often gets buried is you have to still achieve sustainability. There are no ifs and buts—economic sustainability is also equally important. “There is no unlimited sum you can pay for technology in order for it to be sustainable.”
Any locations where you’re depending on solar, it’s a game-changer because the hours you can generate power and the amount of power you can generate in non-ideal conditions is so much better.”
Hard at work Lycopene-producing E. coli that have been coated with titania, as seen by a scanning electron microscope, magnified 5,000 times. Photo submitted
ROD NADEAU, MANAGING PARTNER, INNOVATION BUILDING GROUP
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JUNE 6, 2019
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