Spectral Camouflage Holographic Coating for Photovoltaic Solar Panel

Physical Optics Corporation (POC) will camouflage solar panels by modifying the reflective properties of the photovoltaic (PV) silicon cells. In current solar panels, multilayer thin film antireflective coatings and cut-off filters reject some visiblewavelengths (mostly blue-green) transmit near-IR, giving them a highly reflective, specular blue-green spectral signature. POC proposes to develop a new holographic coating technology, multiplexing subtractive and additive reflection holographicstructures. This can produce solar cells in any color (including black) by combining (multiplexing) three narrowbands primary color holographic coatings, which are flexible environmentally stable, rugged, nonspecular (diffuse), and exhibit no color shiftwith changes in incidence angle or temperature. The proposed holographic coating is commercially attractive because of its low-cost material and fabrication and compatibility with state-of-the-art solar cell technology. In Phase I, POC will investigatethe proposed concept by theoretical analysis and computer simulation, and by experimentally fabricating solar cell coatings in at least four colors: black, green, brown, and tan, and will demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.The proposed spectralcamouflage holographic coating will be a new generation of camouflage material, which can be applied to many kinds military equipment, vehicles, command posts, and field stations. The technology developed for camouflaging solar panels will also make solarpanels that are integral to buildings aesthetically appealing.