TSB invests in low carbon economy

As part of a grant to control carbon dioxide emissions, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), has awarded almost £570,000 to a firm developing plastic photovoltaics for architectural glass.

A group led by Hertfordshire-based Polysolar has been awarded a portion of the almost £20 million handed out by the TSB so that it can develop a low cost, translucent photovoltaic glazing for glass.

Polysolar chief executive, Hamish Watson, told New Energy Focus: "The objective of the project is to develop polymer photovoltaics to use in transparent architectural glazing, primarily for commercial buildings.

"The basic technology of polymer photovoltaics originates from Cambridge and Imperial College research. What we are doing is improving the lifetime and performance of the technology, and encapsulate it for the glazing application."

A total of £17 million in funding has been announced by the non departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Announcing a series of grants last month, TSB chief executive Iain Gray said that large scale investment "will help us to meet the challenge of moving towards a lower carbon economy".