Sunvalley Solar Inc., a solar system solutions provider, has filed for a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Concentrated PV structures are believed to offer a low-cost solution for solar energy systems, but the current PV concentrators are focused on lowering the costs of PV systems built with bulk silicon or other semiconductor materials, the company says. No currently available PV concentrators are suitable for thin-film PV cells because of their thinner layer and lower manufacturing costs.
Sunvalley Solar proposed a Surface Plasmon PV Concentrator that is designed for thin-film PV cells. This will be the first PV concentrator based on surface plasmon resonance and specifically designed for thin-film PV cells, according to the company.
SOURCE: Sunvalley Solar Inc.
