British research councils fund massive solar power project.
04.May.2004

The UK has continued its burgeoning commitment towards the development of renewable energy, and specifically solar energy, through the creation of the largest single research project into solar power ever funded by British research councils.

The £4.5 million project was launched this month and the University of Bath, along with five other universities and seven companies in the UK, will work towards halving the cost of converting the sun's rays into electricity, making it more competitive and thus more attractive for future investment.

The four-year research project will ultimately aim to make solar power a viable alternative to fossil fuels, therefore increasing the proliferation of the sustainable energy source.

According to Professor Laurence Peter, head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath and leader of the solar cell research group, the solar energy project is set to make an "enormously important contribution to providing more environmentally-friendly power for the UK and the rest of the world".

"As existing supplies of oil and gas dwindle, so we need to find alternatives that will not damage the environment and solar energy is ideal for this, even in countries like Britain where the sun doesn't always shine."

The project, entitled Photovoltaic Material for the 21st Century, is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Source: Energy Saving Trust.