TATA Steel and Dyesol have decided to expand their joint photo voltaic development project based at the PV Accelerator Centre at the TATA Steel site at Shotton in North Wales.

The number of personnel working on the project will be increased from 30 to 50 and activity at the PV Accelerator Centre will be scaled up.

The GBP 11 million project, whose initial development phase is due to be completed in June 2011, set out to develop the world’s first continuously manufactured dye sensitized photovoltaic product on steel for building applications. Over this period the partners have been supported by a GBP 5 million technology grant from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Mr Peter Strikwerda MD of TATA Steel Colors, commented that “This project forms a key part of the TATA Steel strategy to develop a new range of functional coated steel products based on renewable energy for use on the roofs and walls of buildings. The project has met the objectives originally set for this phase to determine the photovoltaic cell architecture on steel, the roof component designs, the manufacturing processes and the raw materials requirements. This expansion takes the project from its laboratory and pilot line phase into a pre industrialization phase. We will significantly accelerate technical progress with the objective of establishing a product, process and supply chain that can be successfully commercialized.”