Recovery Act - Organic Solar Concentrators for Low-Cost Solar Power Generation

Organic Solar Concentrators hold the potential to decrease the delivered cost of solar electricity through the areal reduction of what is typically the most expensive component: the photovoltaic converters. However, existing approaches to solar concentration require complex cooling and mechanical sun-tracking systems, as well as being located in cloudless desert climes. These constraints increase cost and limit widespread application. For widespread, cost-competitive deployment of solar photovoltaic technology, dramatic cost reductions are necessary. The proposed technology achieves optical concentrations of up to 200X without the above constraints, offering the potential to achieve a concentrating solar photovoltaic system that can deliver power at costs lower than conventional photovoltaics and competitive with the retail grid. The overall objective of Phases I and II of this project is to achieve cost reduction in photovoltaics by demonstrating a 15% efficient, flat-plate module utilizing organic solar concentrators (OSCs). Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The proposed OSC module can be implemented in the same mode as a conventional solar module, but with dramatically lower hardware costs. This will reduce the installed cost per watt to $2.*80 by 2014 compared to ~$7/W in 2007, substantially reducing the levelized cost of solar power by 65% and making it competitive with conventionally generated electricity. By enabling clean renewable electricity at affordable prices, the OSC module provides an economical alternative to conventional peak electricity and the related fossil fuel dependence, greenhouse gas emissions, and peak time grid constraints.