Greentech Lead America: Solar3D, a developer of
3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into
electricity, will collaborate with Redwood Renewables, a solar roofing company,
to explore the economics and benefits of integrated Solar3D cells directly into
roof tiles.
The association will provide a first look at how the
Solar3D silicon-based technology will perform in Building Integrated
Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications.
“One of the biggest challenges in PV integrated roof
tiles is low power output from conventional cells. Buildings using high
efficiency PV roof tiles will not only generate electricity for immediate use,
but may even help pay the mortgage after a short payback period,” said Tom
Faust, president of Redwood Renewables.
In theory, the super-efficient solar cell will allow
space limited rooftops to provide more power. Also, the wide-angle collection
design of the new solar cell appears to be well suited for installations with a
fixed orientation, because of the ever-changing relative position of the sun.
Solar3D
anticipates that over the next decade, rooftop PV applications-whether applied
or embedded–will be among fastest growing of all solar market segments.
“The superior efficiency of our 3-dimensional solar
cell is ideal for the space-constrained nature of a roof top. Additionally,
because the roof tile is placed in a fixed orientation, the angle of the light
being absorbed is constantly changing–which greatly diminishes the efficiency
of sunlight conversion by the conventional solar cells. The Solar3D cell’s wide
angle collection feature is unique in its ability to dramatically reduce the
loss of efficiency resulting from the changing angle of the sunlight,”
said Jim Nelson, president and CEO of Solar3D.
Recently, Solar3D announced
that its new silicon solar cell design will produce 25.47 percent conversion
efficiency.
editor@greentechlead.com