RoseStreet Labs Energy Inc. (RSLE) has demonstrated what the company says is the first known nitride/silicon tandem solar cell. Utilizing the same nitride material technology as solid-state lighting and blue lasers, RSLE fabricated and tested a working photovoltaic cell that couples a silicon solar cell with a nitride thin film.
RSLE's discovery stems from the company's Full Spectrum photovoltaic product technology incorporating nitride thin-film semiconductors, which the company describes as having robustness against extreme environments, including particle radiation, heat and corrosive environments.
‘We are quite excited about this new hybrid solar cell that marries low-cost nitride thin film with the massive infrastructure of silicon solar cells,’ says Bob Forcier, CEO of RSLE. ‘Our target market for this hybrid device is the high-performance sector for photovoltaics, which we estimate to be over 1% of the $34 billion solar cell global market. This high-performance market is especially sensitive to applications which have constrained areas, such as industrial rooftops and mobile devices.’
The hybrid device is expected to achieve efficiencies of up to 30%, and production of this technology is anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the company.
RSLE: (602) 431-6020
SOURCE: RSLE
