Solar Power World

Natcore Technology Gets Exclusive License To Develop NREL Patent

Natcore Technology has been granted a patent license agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop and commercialize a line of black silicon products — including equipment, chemicals, and solar cells — based on NREL patents. The license grants Natcore exclusivity in the field of diffused emitters with liquid phase passivation. Natcore and NREL have also agreed to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement... Read More

NREL ranks utility power programs

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released its annual assessment of leading utility green-power programs. Under these voluntary programs, consumers can choose to help support additional electricity production from renewable resources such as wind and solar. Green power sales from utility programs exceeded 6 million MWh in 2010. Wind energy now represents more than three-fourths of electricity generated for green energy... Read More

NREL to compare high-efficiency solar cells from 3 nations

NREL is partnering with major international industrial technology and solar research organizations to test how solar cells from three manufacturers perform in two geographic locations with different lighting conditions. A primary goal of the study is to assess how panels from three different manufacturers– the United States, Japan, and Germany–perform under different average lighting conditions characteristic of the study’s test sites in Aurora, Colo., and Yokohama,... Read More

More harvest for hungry solar cells

Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB), have developed the first designed molecular system that produces two triplet states from an excited singlet state of a molecule, with essentially perfect efficiency. What does that mean for the solar industry? The development could lead to a 35% increase in light-harvesting yield in cells for photovoltaics. The graphic shows the double triplets before and after excitation... Read More

How efficient can them make ‘em?

The Amonix 7700 Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) Solar Power Generators are being tested for reliability and performance at the SolarTAC facility in Aurora, Colo. Credit: Dennis Schroeder It’s the size of an IMAX screen, but costs less than comparable generators. It’s not a bird, or a plane, it’s the new PV generator by NREL and solar manufacturer Amonix. The two teamed up to develop the Amonix 7700 Concentrated Photovoltaic Solar Power Generator with highly-efficient... Read More

DOE invests $7m: Four projects for photovoltaics

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will invest up to $7 million through its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support emerging solar developments. Much of the funding will go to the PV Technology Incubator program, which awards startup companies thereby supporting new manufacturing processes and affordable products. With this funding, previous award recipients, including Calisolar and Abound Solar, have already developed new PV technology and are creating jobs... Read More

Breakthrough could lead to 35% increase in light-harvesting yield

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB), have reported the first designed molecular system that produces two triplet states from an excited singlet state of a molecule, with what they say is essentially perfect efficiency. The breakthrough could lead to a 35% increase in light-harvesting yield in cells for photovoltaics and solar fuels. The experiments, using a process called... Read More

NREL practices what it preaches … in efficiency

NREL Contractors Brian Lawson and Kenesaw Burwell work on panels that DOE is using to leverage a Power Purchase Agreement with Sun Edison and Xcel Energy to absorb the upfront installation costs. More than 1,800 solar panels are being installed on the roof of a new building extension on the NREL campus to help it generate almost as much electricity as it uses. While the Research Support Facility (RSF) adds 222,000 ft2 of office space, the building’s energy use only increases... Read More

NREL builds a better, cheaper solar cell

A new low-cost etching technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory can put a trillion holes in a silicon wafer the size of a compact disc. As the tiny holes deepen, they make the silvery-gray silicon appear darker and darker until it becomes almost pure black and able to absorb nearly all colors of light the sun throws at it. At room temperature, the black silicon wafer can be made in about three minutes. At 100 degrees... Read More

NREL: This parabolic trough 73% efficient

Tests conducted by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) confirm that SkyFuel’s parabolic trough solar concentrator meets the highest standard for efficiency in its class. Utility scale parabolic trough solar concentrators harness the sun’s energy to make steam for electricity generation. Patterned after the best of previous, time proven designs, the SkyTrough® is a breakthrough in cost and constructability resulting from... Read More

DOE Confirms Stick-On PV Film Improves Efficiency 12%

A stick-on photovoltaic film developed by Soloptics can improve solar panel efficiency rates by over 12 percent, thereby reducing the cost of solar power for the consumer. The US Department of Energy confirmed the products’ effectiveness on August 2.In tests performed by NREL at its Golden, Colorado research campus, FUSION delivered conversion efficiency gains ranging from 10-12.5 percent depending on testing conditions. FUSION achieved these gains regardless of the... Read More

NREL seeks proposals for photovoltaic incubator program

The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project proposals as part of DOE funding to accelerate commercialization of solar energy.The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator is to foster collaboration between U.S. small businesses, NREL, and other DOE laboratories and facilities. Funding is intended to focus research activity on high-impact areas critical to scaling-up PV technology and meeting aggressive DOE goals of reducing... Read More

Study Shows Solar Mirrors Provide Industry-Leading Performance

The Auburn Hills glass manufacturer Guardian Industries announced the results of an independent performance study showing the EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP, a laminated parabolic mirror for concentrated solar power applications, provides industry-leading performance. Tests conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory compared the reflectance of EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP with standard 4mm monolithic mirrors that are currently used in most large solar fields. The tests showed... Read More

SunPower Achieves Unprecedented 24.2% Solar Cell Efficiency

SunPower Corp. has produced a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent at its manufacturing plant in the Philippines. This is a new world record for large area silicon wafers, and has been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).Improved cell efficiency reduces the levelized cost of energy by increasing the energy production from each wafer manufactured into a SunPower... Read More

Brownfields’ bright spot: solar and wind energy

A few months ago, the EPA and U.S Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced their decision to join forces in evaluating sites that could be used for renewable-energy production. Since then, wind turbines have risen from abandoned toxic industrial sites, and solar panels have begun to catch rays over contaminated landfills. Here’s an update from NREL on what’s happened so far. NREL engineer James Salasovich checks his SunEye, a device that analyzes... Read More