STTR Phase I: Multiuse Rural Photovoltaic Module

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业影响是使农田能够同时用于农业和太阳能生产。该项目将推进一项技术，以适当地将阳光引入太阳能电池和农场使用。 这为农民提供了额外的收入，并创造了一个受控的生长环境，需要更少的水，提供保护免受冰雹和元素的影响，并延长了生长季节。 该技术增强了反馈，因为在太阳能模块下方种植作物可以冷却太阳能电池区域并提高其效率。该STTR第一阶段项目通过开发半导体器件的新方法，将高效率的进步与硅电池的鲁棒性相结合，推进了新光伏结构和物理机制的转化。该项目将设计一个农业光伏模块，通过光学集中优化光伏模块的光与下方作物的光之间的权衡。研发&计划包括四个部分：（1）开发包括区域太阳能和经济数据的模拟模型;（2）确定光学膜的设计参数（例如，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to enable simultaneous use of farmland for farming and solar energy production. This project will advance a technology to appropriately direct sunlight into solar cells and farm use. This provides additional revenue to farmers and creates a controlled growth environment that requires less water, provides protection from hail and the elements, and extends the growing season. The technology enhances feedback because growing crops below the solar modules cools the region of the solar cells and improves their efficiency. This STTR Phase I project advances translation of new photovoltaic structures and physical mechanisms though the development of a new approach to semiconductor device, integrating advances on high efficiency with the robustness of silicon cells. This project will design an agrivoltaic module that optimizes the trade-offs between light to the photovoltaic module through optical concentration and light to the crops below. The R&D plan comprises four parts: (1) development of a simulation model that includes regional solar and economic data; (2) determination of the design parameters of the optical film (e.g., optical concentration, wavelength range, etc); (3) design of the solar cell integrated with the optical film; and (4) construction and field testing of the new solar module to show its beneficial impact on crops and the farming ecosystem.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.