Lambda Energy QD retrofit solution for improved photovoltaic efficiency

全球各国政府和公司都做出了无数承诺，要在未来几十年实现二氧化碳净零排放。然而，能源消费的长期趋势是明确的，美国能源情报署预测，到2050年，全球能源消费将翻一番。目前，全球一次能源的四分之三以上来自化石燃料。因此，实现这些承诺，防止灾难性的气候变化，需要发展清洁能源技术。Lambda Energy是一家清洁能源技术公司，利用半导体量子点的独特光学特性来提高硅太阳能电池板的效率(约占太阳能装机容量的95%)。硅太阳能电池板在短波长(即紫外线，在某种程度上也是蓝色的)表现不佳，因为短波长光被硅非常强烈地吸收，因此由光吸收产生的电子-空穴对不是在太阳能电池的最佳区域产生的，而是在前表面产生的。Lambda Energy技术的想法是，在这些较短波长的光到达太阳能电池本身之前，我们使用量子点吸收它们，并通过在太阳能电池板表面放置一层量子点，在硅太阳能电池表现出最佳运行的地方重新发射较长波长(即红色)的光。这种方法被称为发光降速(LDS)。然而，这一想法并不新鲜，事实上，这种效应在20世纪70年代就首次显现出来。然而，尽管结果令人振奋，但它还没有商业化。出现这种情况的原因是难以制造出稳定的分散材料，这些材料具有合适的光学性能，并且可以在强烈的阳光下暴露25年左右(太阳能电池板的预期寿命)，而且以经济高效的方式做到这一点。由于纳米材料加工的最新发展，我们相信现在将这项技术商业化是可行的。该项目将开发一种原型LDS薄膜，该薄膜具有提高硅太阳能电池板效率所需的光学特性，能够承受太阳能电池板受到的紫外线照射，并适合应用于已安装的现有太阳能电池板阵列。这将使我们能够在已经安装的现有太阳能电池板阵列上进行该技术的试验，目标是将这些设备的功率输出增加10%。

Governments and companies across the globe have issued numerous pledges to reach net-zero CO2 emissions in the coming decades. However, the long term trends of energy consumption are clear, and the US Energy Information Administration predicts that global energy consumption will double by 2050\. Currently, global primary energy sources are more more than three quarters from fossil fuels. Meeting these pledges, and preventing catastrophic climate change, therefore requires the development of clean energy technologies. Lambda Energy is a clean energy technology company that exploits the unique optical properties of semiconductor quantum dots to improve the efficiency of silicon solar panels (which account for approximately 95% of installed solar power). Silicon solar panels perform poorly at short wavelengths (i.e., UV, and to some extent also blue) because short-wavelength light is very strongly absorbed by silicon, and so the electron-hole pairs that are generated by the absorption of light are not created in the optimal region of the solar cells, rather at the front surface. The idea of Lambda Energy's technology is that we absorb these shorter wavelengths using quantum dots before they reach the solar cell itself, and re-emit the light at longer wavelengths (i.e., red) where silicon solar cells exhibit optimal operation, by placing a layer of quantum dots at the surface of the solar panel. This approach is termed luminescent downshifting (LDS). The idea is not new, however, and in fact the effect was first demonstrated in the 1970s. Despite promising results, however, it has not yet been commercialised. The reasons for this relate to the difficulties of creating stable dispersions of materials that have suitable optical properties, and can survive being exposed to strong sunlight for 25 years or so (the expected lifetime of a solar panel), and moreover doing so in a cost-effective manner. Thanks to recent developments in nanomaterials processing, we believe it is now feasible to commercialise this technology. This project will develop a prototype LDS film that has the required optical properties to enhance the efficiency of silicon solar panels, can withstand the UV exposure that a solar panel is subjected to, and is suitable for application to existing solar panel arrays that are already installed. This will position us to carry out trials of the technology on existing solar panel arrays that are already installed, with the aim of increasing the power output of these installations by 10%.