HelioVolt Corp., a producer of thin-film solar energy products, has earned an R&D 100 award from R&D magazine for work performed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). HelioVolt and NREL received the award for demonstrating a simpler, faster, end-to-end process for printing high-quality thin-film photovoltaic systems.
‘This award-winning technology could have a significant impact on the penetration of solar energy in the marketplace,’ says Dan Arvizu, NREL's director. ‘We are proud to be working with innovators in the private sector to deliver the technologies and products that will make clean, renewable power a significant portion of our nation's energy mix.’
The R&D 100 award honors a hybrid process for producing large-grain CIGS thin-film solar devices. The collaboration employed a non-vacuum technique developed at NREL and licensed by HelioVolt to precisely apply liquid precursors under standard atmospheric conditions onto a printing plate and substrate that can be made from various building materials.
SOURCE: HelioVolt
