STTR Phase I: Concentrator Photovoltaics with High-Refractive-Index Encapsulants

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。小型企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在确定一种创新方法的技术和商业可行性，以提高光电太阳能电力转换系统的性能并降低其成本。特别是，我们将通过将高效太阳能电池封装在透明的高折射率环氧树脂中来改进聚光光伏（CPV）系统。我们期望通过利用现有的发光二极管（LED）封装技术，降低CPV制造成本。在CPV中使用高折射率材料可以提高聚光比，同时在发电组件中保持广阔的视野，这些组件可以集成到各种CPV系统中。该STTR通过开发一种具有超高性能且降低内在制造成本的新型光伏设备来解决可再生能源市场。聚光技术可以在短期内彻底改变可再生能源市场，这是其他竞争技术无法比拟的。通过用更便宜的塑料透镜和/或金属反射镜取代昂贵的半导体材料，聚光光伏系统原则上既可以降低光伏组件的总体成本，又可以提高性能。这个STTR计划利用固态照明的工作，在CPV系统中实现更高的浓度比和更宽的视野，可以以更低的成本制造，从而实现第三代光伏发电的最终目标，即以低成本实现超高的转换效率。除了科学和商业影响之外，这个STTR项目还具有很强的教育成分，使研究生能够在一个新颖的、跨学科的、潜在的高影响力领域接受教育和培训。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to establish the technical and commercial feasibility of an innovative approach for improving the performance and lowering the costs of photovoltaic solar-electric power conversion systems. In particular, we will improve concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems by encapsulating high-efficiency solar cells within a transparent, high-refractive-index epoxy. We anticipate lowering CPV manufacturing costs with this approach by leveraging established light emitting diode (LED) packaging technology. The use of high index of refraction material in a CPV will enable increased concentration ratios while maintaining a wide field of view in power generating subassemblies that can be incorporated into a variety of CPV systems. This STTR addresses the renewable energy market by developing a novel photovoltaic device capable of ultra-high performance with reduced intrinsic manufacturing costs. Concentrator technologies can radically alter the renewable energy market in the near term like no other competing technology. By replacing expensive semiconductor materials with cheaper plastic lens and/or metal mirrors, concentrator photovoltaic systems can in principle both reduce overall photovoltaic module costs and improve performance. This STTR program leverages work in solid state lighting to achieve higher concentration ratios and wider field of views in CPV systems that can be manufactured at lower costs and thus realize the ultimate objective of third generation photovoltaics, namely ultra-high conversion efficiency at low costs. In addition to the scientific and commercial impact, this STTR program has a strong educational component, enabling graduate students to be educated and trained in a novel, interdisciplinary, and potentially high-impact field.