$5m project to commercialise low cost transparent solar cells
The funding from the US Department of Energy SunShot Initiative will be matched by Next in the $5m project for soluble small molecule (SSM)-organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology
Next has developed an 8 x 8in (203 x 203mm) prototype transparent cell and the project aims to develop that for reliability and certification testing in pilot manufacturing.
The NEXT photovoltaic windows selectively absorb light in the infrared and UV spectrum while allowing significant visible light transmission with colours that are desirable to the window market. The approach allows the PV windows to look like conventional windows, but also allows for much lower module and balance of system costs compared to other solar technologies by integrating the solar material into windows. This eliminates the encapsulation costs such as glass, which would otherwise represent a significant majority of the cost of a module.
Other companies such as Heliatek are developing organic films to fit over windows to provide solar power.
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- ROLL-TO-ROLL FLEXIBLE PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS HIT RECORD EFFICIENCY
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- HELIATEK RAISES €80M FOR HIGH VOLUME ROLL-TO-ROLL SOLAR FILM PRODUCTION
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