Honored by R&D Magazine
Monday August 17, 9:59 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: United Solar Systems Corp.
United Solar Triple Junction Solar Module
Honored by R&D Magazine
TROY, Mich., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- United Solar Systems Corp. (United Solar) announced
today that its triple-junction amorphous silicon solar electric module has been awarded an
''R&D 100'' award from R&D Magazine. The award, described as the ''Nobel Prize of applied
research,'' recognized the work performed by United Solar, with support from the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) under the Thin Film Partnership, a Department of
Energy (DOE) R&D program designed to bring down the cost of solar electric products. The
magazine's editors and staff, together with 70 outside experts, reviewed thousands of new
innovations to determine the 100 most significant advances of 1998.
United Solar, an American joint venture between Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD)
(Nasdaq: ENER - news) and Canon Inc. [Nasdaq:CANNY - news], manufactures a line of solar
electric products under the brand name UNI-SOLAR(R). The multi-junction technology and a
number of United Solar products have been developed in collaboration with ECD, DOE, and
NREL.
Under the Thin Film Partnership program, United Solar further developed its unique
triple-junction module, which uses three active solar cell layers, each tuned to different
wavelengths of the solar spectrum to more efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. The
triple-junction cells are deposited on one-half mile long flexible substrates in a proprietary
roll-to-roll process similar to the production of newsprint and photographic film. New materials
and device designs developed under the program resulted in world record energy conversion
efficiencies for amorphous silicon technology (12% for a cell, 10.2% for a prototype module
and 7.6% for commercial modules). Amorphous silicon materials are less expensive to produce
than crystalline silicon used in most commercial solar cells. Higher conversion efficiencies
increase module performance and help to reduce costs further.
''This is an excellent example of how federal funds used in public/private partnerships can help
develop clean energy technologies,'' said Dan Reicher, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in commending United Solar on its achievement. ''We are
deeply committed to maintaining U.S. leadership in this vitally important industry.''
''We are pleased that our work over the years in triple junction solar cells has been recognized.
This and our continuous web manufacturing technology are the basis for making solar energy
cost competitive with fossil fuels,'' said Stanford R. Ovshinsky, President and CEO of United
Solar and ECD.
''Our productive and rewarding relationship with NREL and DOE has enabled us to make very
important scientific advances,'' said Dr. Subhendu Guha, Executive Vice President of United
Solar and leader of the team that developed the triple-junction module. ''These advances are
resulting in better and more affordable products.''
The R&D 100 Award follows in the wake of two other awards for United Solar products and
technology, the Popular Science ''Best of What's New'' 1996 Grand Award and a Discover
Magazine 1997 ''Best Innovation Award,'' both in the environmental category. The Popular
Science and Discover Magazine awards recognized the lightweight, flexible solar shingle
developed by United Solar under the DOE PV: BONUS program. These unique shingles can be
aesthetically installed on residential or commercial roofs in a manner similar to conventional
asphalt shingles to provide electrical energy. They were admired by President Clinton during a
recent press conference who described them as ''really amazing'', noting ''how thin they are''
and that ''they can make a huge difference in what we have to do'' [to reduce greenhouse gases].
SOURCE: United Solar Systems Corp.
Copyright c 1998 PRNewswire. |
