New solar technology uses less silicon to bring down the cost of solar energy.
By Tim Young 
Even though solar power is recognized as a non-polluting, unlimited source of energy, we still generate less than 1% of total energy consumption from this renewable source. Although solar has the power to revolutionize the way the world consumes energy, it’s not being used to its full potential.
For solar to become an integral part of the world’s energy supply, costs have to come down and efficiency has to increase. Today’s most efficient solar cells hover around 15% – only a small amount of energy from the sun is converted into electricity. That means large numbers of expensive solar panels are required to generate meaningful amounts of electricity.
Instead of focusing on improving the efficiency of solar cells, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based HyperSolar has a patent-pending technology based on photonics (the science of guiding light) – it concentrates sunlight on a solar cell in much the same way as a magnifying glass would.
By marrying the principles of solar concentration and cutting edge photonics techniques, HyperSolar is developing the world’s first thin and flat solar concentrator for direct placement on top of existing solar cells. This thin, flat optical layer can inexpensively collect and deliver substantially more sunlight onto conventional solar cells, allowing them to produce multiple times more power.
HyperSolar’s technology dramatically reduces the number of solar cells needed in a solar panel. Using fewer solar cells means using less silicon, which greatly lowers the cost per watt of electricity.
Using less silicon also reduces employee exposure to lung disease silicosis, currently a problem in the solar cell manufacturing process.
In addition, unlike the bulky solar concentrators that are used in today’s concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems, which employ optical devices such as mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight, HyperSolar’s technology is a thin, flat layer that can be applied on the surface of conventional flat solar panel designs.
HyperSolar’s ability to concentrate the power of the sun is based on four primary innovations:
- Micro-concentrators — A matrix of small, highly efficient solar concentrators collect sunlight from a wide range of angles, eliminating the need for tracking mechanisms
- Photonics light routing — A solid-state photonics network underneath the micro-concentrators transports light from collection points at the top to the concentrated output points at the bottom
- Photonics light separation — The photonics network separates collected sunlight into different spectrum ranges, which can be routed to different types of solar cells
- Photonics thermal management — The heat from unused portions of the solar spectrum is filtered out, thus avoiding overheating, which can degrade solar cell performance
As of September 2010, HyperSolar (HYSR.OB) started trading over the counter. The company expects to enter into partnership with a solar panel manufacturer within a year, anticipates that its technology, manufacturing processes and know-how will be licensed to a wide range of manufacturers for turnkey production of HyperSolar layers to be used with existing technology and equipment.
Currently, the company is entering the initial prototyping phase which will produce a demonstration-sized version of the technology. Once the design is refined, HyperSolar will work with select partners for the remainder of the development phase to build a commercial-grade design and manufacturing process.
Although the company’s initial HyperSolar layer will be tailored to the crystalline-silicon market, they also plan to offer designs for thin-film and other solar applications.
One of the biggest challenges HyperSolar faces as they finalize the design for their proof of concept prototype is creating a modular design. It’s important that the structure of their "thin and flat" layer be easily manufactured and assembled to fit into current solar manufacturing processes. To meet this challenge, the company recently added a Director of Technology with in-depth knowledge of photonics and optics and extensive experience delivering commercial-ready products.
The durability and cost effectiveness of materials used in HyperSolar’s layer are also a critical element in the development of this technology. The company is investigating various polymers and glasses that are both inexpensive and hold up in intense sun for at least 20 years.
The potential market for HyperSolar is enormous. The solar market is doubling every two years – the current solar capacity of 15 GW is anticipated to grow 120 times to more than 1.8 terawatts by 2030. And that’s without having yet achieved grid parity.
The implications of grid parity are almost beyond the power of imagination. A world powered by solar will mean a world without petro-dictators, without landscapes despoiled by coal mining, without seas polluted by oil spills or accumulations of spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants.
The slow demise of the fossil fuel-based economy will no doubt bring economic dislocations in the short term, but will ultimately lead to a cleaner, safer world in which the ability to harness the power of the sun will bring increased comfort, convenience and prosperity to people around the globe.
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Tim Young is President and CEO of HyperSolar, Inc.
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