Suntech, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Silex Solar will together research advanced technology to further improve the power conversion efficiencies of crystalline silicon solar cells. The three-year collaborative research project received an AU$5 million grant from the Australian Solar Institute (ASI), and that's apparently the largest award given to any of the 87 grant applicants in the ASI's first competitive funding call.

In addition to the ASI grant, both Silex Solar and Suntech will contribute more than AU$6 million in direct funding and in-kind research resources over the next three years to support the operations.

As for the research project itself, it will focus on the development of advanced solar cell device designs and high volume cell manufacturing processes to achieve significant performance improvements and cost reduction breakthroughs. The research is expected to complement Suntech's development of high-efficiency Pluto technology.

[source: Suntech]