Largest SolarWindow Organic Photovoltaic Module Unveiled

Scientists working on New Energy Technologies Inc.'s latest incarnation of the 'see-thru' organic photovoltaic solar panel, SolarWindow, say they have finally overcome the biggest obstacle confronting the commercialisation of the product.

Scientists working on New Energy Technologies Inc.’s latest incarnation of the “see-thru” organic photovoltaic solar panel, SolarWindow, say they have finally overcome the biggest obstacle confronting the commercialisation of the product. 
  
In doing so, they have fabricated the largest-area organic photovoltaic (OPV) module ever produced at the United States Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
 
At 170 cm2* – 14 times the size of any OPV solar panel ever produced at the NREL – the transparent solar device is considerably larger than February 2011’s 30x30cm SolarWindow model and positively dwarfs 2010’s four-inch prototype.
  
Size matters when it comes to OPV solar panels as they have far lower sunlight-to-energy efficiency conversion rates than silicon-based PV modules. 
 
The big advantage organic solar devices do have is that they are relatively cheap to manufacture and, in the case of the SolarWindow, can be substituted for glass used in commercial buildings and homes, vastly multiplying the solar potential of the system.
 
New Energy’s successful working model of the 170cm2 SolarWindow could lead to the “scaling up” of OPV systems across America, according to NREL scientist Dr. David S. Ginley.
 
“We believe that building integrated applications provide a promising avenue for OPV deployment and we are continuing to work with New Energy Technologies to further address scale-up, a key milestone toward developing a deployable technology.”
 
OPV panels are produced by coating a surface with polymers that are organically synthesised to generate electricity from sunlight. Last month, New Energy announced that researchers had investigated and made use of a high-speed/large-area solution-coating process, which allows for rapid scale-up to larger glass surface areas. 
 
It was this breakthrough that resulted in the production of the company’s new, large-area SolarWindow prototype.
 
As we’ve reported in the past, New Energy has fought for control of the many patents surrounding the SolarWindow, with the technology currently the subject of ten new patent filings as the company eyes off the vast market potential of the technology in the estimated 85 million commercial buildings and homes throughout the USA.
 
Source/Image source
 
*We are seeking clarification on this figure. The press release states “170 square centimeters (cm2) working module, more than 14-times larger than previous OPV devices fabricated at NREL.”, but we believe the company may have meant 170 x 170cm.
 

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