Solar Tech Times

A California company that develops flexible, translucent organic photovoltaic cells plans to introduce a technology that could be a step toward future transparent solar panels that could replace standard windows.

Three-year-old Solarmer Energy Inc. of El Monte, CA, will demonstrate the cell at the Organic Photovoltaics conference in Philadelphia.

The company says the technology has been independently verified to produce a top-end efficiency of 6.31 percent.

Solarmer, whose focus is on the development and manufacture of plastic solar cells that are translucent, flexible, and lightweight, says it is extremely pleased with these results.

“We’re hoping to generate a lot of excitement with this recent break-through,” says Solarmer President Woolas Hsieh. “It gives me confidence that we will have commercial products on the market in 2010.”

The 6.31 percent efficiency of organic photovoltaics (OPV) was independently verified by the Dr. Zadoyan group in the Technology and Applications Center at Newport Corporation. This accomplishment is evidence of Solarmer closing in on their commercial grade module goals of 6.2 percent efficiency, three years half lifetime, and 100cm squared total active area, Hsieh said.

In addition to their efficiency achievements, Dr. Yue Wu will present Solarmer’s progress in developing translucent plastic solar cells (capable of up to 4 percent transparency). Translucent plastic solar cells are relevant to applications such as solar windows, which will be capable of replacing standard windows. This technology is highly anticipated by developers of skyscrapers and houses alike that are trying to break the zero-energy barrier (zero energy buildings are autonomous from the energy grid — energy is produced on-site).