Jul 6 2009
XeroCoat Inc. has announced that the United States Department of Energy (US DOE) has awarded the company a grant for a $2.96 million project to develop a method for applying its patented anti-reflective (AR) coating technology directly onto assembled photovoltaic (PV) solar modules.
With this grant, XeroCoat is targeting a coating method for thin film modules that will exceed thin film industry cost targets and further lower the cost of solar energy. Upon successful completion of this development work, XeroCoat’s customers will be able to cost-effectively apply its high performance AR coatings to all solar technologies, increasing energy output and making solar energy more affordable. This new capability will complement XeroCoat’s anti-reflective coating process that is available today for coating the glass used in conventional solar modules.
“We are very pleased to receive this grant, and appreciate the DOE’s strong support for new and disruptive technologies to gain rapid market acceptance,” stated Dr. Michael Harvey, chief technology officer at XeroCoat and a co-founder. “We believe that we have a very viable solution for anti-reflective coating for thin film modules. However, funding such as the DOE grant is needed to bring it to market.”
Receiving one of the largest grants, XeroCoat was one of 24 companies to share in the $24 million awarded by the US DOE for PV Supply Chain and Cross Cutting Technologies, under its Solar Energy Technologies Program. The solar energy awards were part of a $300 million DOE funding package aimed at reducing costs, emissions, and improving the readiness of the green-collar workforce. Prior to receiving this first grant from the US government, XeroCoat was awarded several early stage funding grants from the Australian and Queensland Governments.
Unique Technological Feasibility
XeroCoat’s anti-reflective coating technology increases the power output of solar systems in a cost-effective manner. Utilizing XeroCoat’s coating, solar module manufacturers can expect a 3% increase in peak power output and a 4-5% increase in energy produced on a kWhr basis. Anti-reflective coatings are now being adopted for the cover glass of crystalline photovoltaic modules, but there is no viable solution for thin film modules. Most thin film technologies begin with annealed glass, with a transparent conductive oxide on one side, as the substrate upon which the solar cell processing takes place. This processing involves multiple layer depositions in harsh environments with a substantial amount of material handling and transport which subjects the anti-reflective coating to very difficult conditions. XeroCoat’s unique anti-reflective coating technology is applied at room temperature and pressure, thus lending itself to deposition on thin film solar modules that have been through the processing and lamination steps and, thereby, avoiding damage to the coating.
Increasing Thin Film Solar Module Cost Competitiveness
In addition to being technically feasible, an anti-reflective coating solution for thin film solar modules must be cost effective. This means that the additional watts generated from the coating must cost less than the cost of the thin film module. This is a significant challenge given that some thin film modules are already at or below the $1 per watt cost and are targeting much lower costs over the next five years. “The DOE grant allows XeroCoat to continue its technological innovation and provide solutions that enable the thin film solar module industry to increase their cost competitiveness,” stated Tom Hood, president and CEO of XeroCoat. “Our value proposition is in providing the most cost-effective watt on the module.”