Reach - a non-regulatory announcement
AIM: FIPP
25
February 2025
Frontier IP Group
Plc
("Frontier IP" or the
"Group")
Portfolio news -
GraphEnergyTech enters collaboration with Taiwanese partners and
Cambridge University in project backed by Innovate
UK
Frontier IP, a specialist in
commercialising intellectual property, today announces the
following developments at portfolio company GraphEnergyTech (or the
"Company"):
· that it
has entered into a collaboration with the Taiwan Perovskite Solar
Corporation, Taiwan's prestigious Industrial Technology Research
Institute, and the University of Cambridge to drive development of
the next generation of solar technology; and
· that the
project the four organisations have formed, called Graphene
Electrode Technology for Perovskite Solar Cells (or "GETPSC"), has
secured a £884,129 grant from Innovate UK.
The four partners will work together
to advance solar technology by developing commercial perovskite
solar modules, based on Taiwan Perovskite Solar Corporation's
technology, integrating GraphEnergyTech's graphene
electrodes.
The electrodes will be based on the
Company's proprietary technology to replace the metal electrodes
currently used in nearly all solar cells. Innovate UK's grant
funding is split, with £591,250 assigned to GraphEnergyTech, and
the remaining £292,879 to the University of
Cambridge.
Frontier IP holds a 23.97 per cent
equity stake in GraphEnergyTech.
Graphene is more cost-effective and
sustainable than metal electrodes and offers better chemical
stability. In addition, the University of New South Wales has
warned that the growth in solar installations globally threatens to
exhaust known resources of silver, the most widely used metal for
electrodes, by 2050.
Perovskite-based solar technologies
match the efficiency of the silicon-solar cells which dominate the
market today and have the potential to surpass them. However, they
are more vulnerable to environmental degradation, because of the
poor stability of metallic electrodes in relation to the perovskite
solar material. GETPSC's main focus is to improve the reliability
of the perovskite solar cells to make them more viable commercially
by replacing unstable metal electrodes with graphene.
Perovskite solar technology also
faces challenges in achieving cost-effective manufacturing at
scale, and GETPSC will work with Taiwan's semiconductor
manufacturing industry to help address this issue.
The Industrial Technology Research
Institute has been credited with driving the growth of several
industries and startups, including semiconductor giants UMC and
TSMC.
The project's total value amounts to
£1,137,522 in the UK and, in addition to the £884,129 grant,
includes a GraphEnergyTech contribution of £253,393.
In 2024 GraphEnergyTech raised £1
million through an investment round led by Aramco Ventures, the
corporate venturing arm of Aramco, the world's leading integrated
energy company.
More broadly, GraphEnergyTech's
technology promises to make conventional silicon solar cells
cheaper to manufacture by replacing expensive metal electrodes,
particularly those made of silver, with graphene. Silver is the
most commonly used material for electrodes today, but the rising
demand for solar power means global reserves could be exhausted by
2050, according to research from the University of New South
Wales. It is expensive and mining can cause devastating
environmental harm.
Other potential applications for
GraphEnergyTech's technology include printed electronics,
batteries, super capacitors, LED lighting and displays.
The Company was co-founded by
Professor Michael Grätzel of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de
Lausanne ("EPFL"), inventor of the dye-sensitised solar cell,
Professor Andrea Ferrari, founder and director of the University of
Cambridge Graphene Centre, and Frontier IP. Professor Grätzel
is ranked among the world's most cited scientists across all fields
and is behind more than 120 patents resulting from his
research.
Chen Lai-Ju, Taiwan Perovskite Solar Corp. Chairman,
said: "We are eagerly anticipating the research and economic value
that this project will bring. It will push the entire world one
step closer to achieving zero-carbon emissions."
Dr.
Thomas Baumeler, GraphEnergyTech's CEO, said:
"We are thrilled
to embark on this ambitious project which not only fosters
international collaboration in renewable energy, but also aligns
seamlessly with GraphEnergyTech's vision. The support from Innovate
UK is instrumental in advancing our research and driving innovative
solutions to market."
Frontier IP Chief Executive Neil Crabb said:
"We are very
excited about GraphEnergyTech's potential and the impact the
Company could have on solar technology. The collaboration with
leading Taiwanese organisations and the support from Innovate UK,
provides strong validation for its technology and we are looking
forward to the results of this project."
ENQUIRIES
|
Frontier IP Group Plc
|
M: 07464 546 025
|
|
Neil Crabb, Chief
Executive
Andrew Johnson, Communications &
Investor Relations
Company website: www.frontierip.co.uk
|
neil@frontierip.co.uk
M: 07464 546 025
|
|
Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser)
Nick Athanas / George
Payne
|
T: 0203 328 5656
|
About GraphEnergyTech
GraphEnergyTech has developed and
patented a novel process to integrate graphene electrodes into
solar cells replacing silver and other precious metals while
retaining or improving power conversion efficiencies and
reliability. The company works with partners to scale this
technology and bring the cost and performance benefits to all types
of solar cells and beyond.
Other potential applications of the
technology include printed electronics batteries, super capacitors,
LED lighting and displays.
About Frontier IP
Frontier IP unites science and
commerce by identifying strong intellectual property and
accelerating its development through a range of commercialisation
services. A critical part of the Group's work is involving relevant
industry partners at an early stage of development to ensure
technology meets real world demands and needs.
The Group looks to build and grow a
portfolio of equity stakes and licence income by taking an active
involvement in spin-out companies, including support for fund
raising and collaboration with relevant industry partners at an
early stage of development.
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