Magnolia is applying nanotechnology to boost solar cell performance
Nano-structured coatings to cut reflection losses and trap more light in CIGS and III-V cells
Magnolia Solar has announced that it is pioneering the application of nanotechnology for both flexible CIGS and III-V solar cells in order to boost performance and lower costs, using nano-structured optical coatings that can minimise reflection losses and enhance light trapping.
The US company also says it is developing a way to apply novel nano structured designs to the absorber layer of high-performance III-V and CIGS solar cells in order to reduce recombination losses and increase the capture of low-energy photons.
"Emerging technical approaches for achieving flexible photovoltaic power include the growth of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) cells on flexible substrates and the epitaxial liftoff (ELO) of III-V devices onto thin metal film," said Roger Welser, Magnolia's CTO.
The company is working closely with the newly merged SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) / SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) institution. "Our office in the Albany NanoTech complex allows our technical staff to work very closely with top researchers at the CNSE/SUNYIT facilities which have directly led to innovative patent pending designs using nanotechnology. This is helping us to meet our goals of high-efficiency thin film solar cells," said Ashok K. Sood, president and CEO of Magnolia Solar Corporation
Based in Albany, NY and Woburn MA, Magnolia is targeting a variety of civilian and defense applications for its photovoltaic solar cells.
