[SPN-Discussion] NY Funders March 12: AccuStrata improves the efficiency of thin film solar manufacture by 10% to 20%. Note: That's HUGE!

[Gelvin Stevenson]

Greetings,

 

            Please join us Friday, March 12, at the New York Energy &
Environmental Funders breakfast, to hear about AccuStrata, Inc., a Maryland
company, has developed an intelligent, real-time optical control system able
to improve thin film solar cell manufacturing, resulting in 10-20% higher
solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency and reduced cost.  A 10-20%
efficiency improvement is sufficient to substantially increase the
deployment of solar power and make it a feasible alternative to the fossil
based energy sources. 

 

Today, solar cell substrates (panels) enter high vacuum and high temperature
chambers where layer after layer of thin film materials are deposited onto
the surface. They exit only after all the layers of solar thin film material
are deposited, typically after a couple of hours. Only then can the
manufacturers test the panels' efficiency and make adjustments for the next
batch. 

 

AccuStrata's automated feed-back and correction system-which is based on
miniature fiber optic sensors installed at specific points inside existing
equipment-correct them immediately or compensating for them in the following
layer or layers. This substantially improves the solar conversion efficiency
of the panel and takes an important step toward closing the gap between the
efficiency thin film panels achieve in the lab (typically 18%) to what they
achieve in commercial production (typically below 10%). 

 

The company estimates that, if its system is adopted by 20% of the thin film
manufacturers, it would result in roughly $1 billion in savings by 2014. In
addition there are several multibillion dollar markets for the company's
technology, such as touch screen displays, high brightness LED lighting,
thin film batteries and nanotechnology. 

 

The company's software and hardware have been tested in a live environment
at a thin film solar cell manufacturing customer's facility, and that
company has issued a purchase order for a system.  

 

            Oscar von Bredow, COO, will describe the company's technology
and market position, and Dr. George Atanasoff  will discuss technical
matters.

             

            As usual, we will be hosted by Buzz Barclay and Dickstein
Shapiro LLP, 1633 Broadway, 32nd floor (between  50th and 51st Streets),
gather at 8:00am and begin the program at 8:30pm. 

 

            Please register now at www.ceepinc.org. 

 

            Call-ins are now available. After you have registered (also at
www.ceepinc.org and before 5pm on Wednesday, please), we will send you the
phone number and, when available, the presentation slides. There is a $25
fee. 

 

Please contact me with any questions.

 

Regards,

Gelvin 

 

Gelvin Stevenson, Ph.D.

Program Director 

Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership, Inc.

212-222-4369

917-599-6089

 

 

 

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