A Lehigh Valley company has figured out how to put tiny crystals to work, making solar panels more efficient.
SolarPA, based in New Tripoli, has developed a thin nanocrystal coating that can be applied to the cells that go into solar panels. Sunlight bounces off the almost imperceptible nanocrystals and refracts into the solar panel rather than bouncing back into space, as is the case with traditional solar panels. Robert Castellano, president and CEO of SolarPA, says the coating can improve solar cells’ performance by 10 percent.
This improved efficiency could be a huge help to solar panel manufacturers, since it’s not always easy for them to hit efficiency targets, Castellano says. And it can also save solar-panel makers money — by using the coating, they could make panels with fewer cells and the same electricity generation potential.
Plus, home and business owners can install solar panels, equipped with the coating, that don’t have to be in constant motion so they’re always facing the sun. “Say you stick it on your roof. In the morning and the evening, the sun is ready to rise and set, so you’re not getting as much sun as at noontime,” Castellano says. “You could still get the benefit of the tracking system without the tracking system.”
He says SolarPA is seeking grants for its work and talking about partnering with other companies. Philadelphia-based Arkema is working on developing a polymer for the nanocrystal coating.
Source: Robert Castellano, SolarPA
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen
