Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), is the combination of thin and flexible solar panels with standard building materials such as standing seam metal roofing, single-ply elastomeric membrane roofing. They are commonly used on commercial buildings, warehouses, hospitals, and schools, or architectural fabric used for canopies, covered walkways, sports stadiums, airports, and convention centers. Thin and flexible solar panels can be installed in a low-cost manner. This makes these solar panels especially well suited for building integrated applications.
The electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in local batteries and converted to 110 AC for general wall outlet use, or, in some cases, is used directly for low-voltage lighting systems. The buildings can be either off-grid or grid-connected.
Today many solar panels are made with rigid glass or silicon, which is mounted on thick metal frames but a new addition to the flexible solar panel market, may soon come with flexible solar panels that use a transparent thin film barrier used to protect flat panel TVs from moisture.
The encapsulation process and the ultra-barrier film - called Barix™ Encapsulation and Barix™ Barrier Film, respectively can be applied to flexible plastic film and are already proven and effective moisture barriers. The thin film barrier is 10,000 times less permeable to water than anything currently available and is currently used in OLED displays to resolve moisture and oxygen sensitivity problems. It creates a microscopically flat service that overcomes the problems of sealing active OLED materials between sheets of glass or metal can, where the process makes the displays heavy and rigid and adds significant costs and complexities; which reduce the advantages of OLEDs over LCDs and other display technologies.
The researchers at PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) are looking at how to apply the technology to solar panels that are made with copper indium gallium selenide, called CIGS, or cadmium telluride, called CdTe. They will also evaluate substrate materials for solar panels, (photovoltaics) so that both the film and substrate are able to survive harsh ultraviolet rays and natural elements like rain and hail for 25 years.
The work is made possible by a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Vitex Systems and Battelle, who operate PNNL for the federal government. They will develop a manufacturing process so the panels can be readily adapted to large-scale production. If successful, this process will reduce solar panel manufacturing costs to less than $1 per watt of power, which would be competitive with the 10 cents per kilowatt-hour that a utility would charge.
PNNL researchers developed the thin film technology in the 1990s. At the time, the lab's team investigated 15 possible applications, including solar power. Vitex licensed the technology from Battelle in 2000 and focused its initial efforts on developing the ultra-barrier films for flat-panel displays.
Battelle, which is the majority shareholder of Vitex, is optimistic that this research agreement will contribute to a new way of generating solar power. Battelle recently increased its investment in Vitex for new state-of-the-art thin film encapsulation equipment and expanded its intellectual property portfolio.
"We're confident that Vitex will be uniquely positioned to help meet the demand for flexible solar panels, OLED displays and lighting that should rise along with the economy," said Martin Inglis, Battelle's chief financial officer.
PNNL's research efforts will be paid for with up to $350,000 from the DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology Commercialization Fund. Last year, DOE announced that up to $1.5 million from the fund would be available to PNNL for projects that help commercialize technologies that reduce energy use or tap renewable energy sources. Because the fund requires commercial partners to match funding, Vitex will provide up to $350,900 of in-kind labor, equipment and materials for this project.
For more attend Photovoltaics Beyond Conventional Silicon USA 2009 Dec 2-3, San Jose, USA.
