Photovoltaic cells: clean energy from wine waste
Photovoltaics (technologies based on organic materials) are attracting increasing interest. The most promising of these are dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC), based on natural dyes. Blueberries, currants and eggplants are some of the vegetables already used for dye extraction: all are edible raw materials.
This innovative method recovers waste which would otherwise be disposed of, specifically those produced in winemaking and clarification processes. That makes it a green resource for extracting the organic dye required by the DSSC.
Agri-food waste is used to manufacture photovoltaic cells to produce renewable and sustainable electricity. Natural dyes can be extracted from winemaking residues (that are usually disposed of) and used to capture solar energy. With this patented method, production waste is recovered and transformed into a green resource.