Magnolia Solar Demonstrates Ultra-High Transmittance Through Nanostructure-Coated Glass
May 8, 2011
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WOBURN, MA/ALBANY, NY - Magnolia Solar Corp. (Magnolia Solar) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Magnolia Solar Inc., has demonstrated ultra-high transmittance through glass employing a nanostructured antireflection coating. The technical results were presented by Magnolia's Chief Technical Officer, Roger E. Welser, at the SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing Conference in Orlando, FL, on April 26, 2011. The presentation was part of a special session on Advanced Harvesting Devices, and summarizes work done in collaboration with Professor Fred Schubert's group at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Welser also presented a second paper in this session highlighting the importance of quantum well and quantum dot structures for defense-related energy harvesting applications.
"Ultra-high, broadband transmittance through coated glass windows has been demonstrated over a wide range of incident angles," noted Welser. "Near perfect 100 percent transmittance through a glass substrate has been achieved over select spectral bands, and the overall average transmittance dramatically increased for simulated sunlight. The measured improvements in transmittance result from coating the windows with a new class of materials consisting of porous silicon dioxide nanorods."
Ashok K. Sood, President and CEO of Magnolia Solar Corp., stated, "The antireflection technology described at the SPIE-sponsored conference could benefit crystalline silicon and thin-film photovoltaic systems that employ either a top-cover glass or a glass superstrate. Fixed, flat-plate solar cell modules typically generate electrical power throughout the day, but suffer from large reflection losses early in morning and late in the afternoon when the sun is lower in the horizon and the sunlight is incident upon the solar panels at large angles. Nanostructured optical coatings can reduce the reflection losses of fixed, flat-plate modules throughout the day, but especially in the early morning and late afternoon. This patent-pending technology can also benefit a wide variety of specialized military and commercial optical window applications."
Based in Woburn, MA and Albany, NY, Magnolia Solar was founded in 2008 to develop and commercialize new thin-film solar cell technologies that employ nanostructured materials and designs. Both higher current and voltage outputs are expected from thin film solar cells that combine Magnolia's exclusive material structures with advanced optical coatings. Magnolia's technology has the ability to capture a larger part of the solar spectrum to produce high efficiency solar cells, and incorporates a unique nanostructure-based antireflection coating technology to further increase the solar cell's efficiency, thereby reducing the cost per watt. Magnolia Solar technology targets electrical power generation applications, such as power for electrical grids and distributed power applications ranging from commercial and residential lighting to specialized military applications.
"Ultra-high, broadband transmittance through coated glass windows has been demonstrated over a wide range of incident angles," noted Welser. "Near perfect 100 percent transmittance through a glass substrate has been achieved over select spectral bands, and the overall average transmittance dramatically increased for simulated sunlight. The measured improvements in transmittance result from coating the windows with a new class of materials consisting of porous silicon dioxide nanorods."
Ashok K. Sood, President and CEO of Magnolia Solar Corp., stated, "The antireflection technology described at the SPIE-sponsored conference could benefit crystalline silicon and thin-film photovoltaic systems that employ either a top-cover glass or a glass superstrate. Fixed, flat-plate solar cell modules typically generate electrical power throughout the day, but suffer from large reflection losses early in morning and late in the afternoon when the sun is lower in the horizon and the sunlight is incident upon the solar panels at large angles. Nanostructured optical coatings can reduce the reflection losses of fixed, flat-plate modules throughout the day, but especially in the early morning and late afternoon. This patent-pending technology can also benefit a wide variety of specialized military and commercial optical window applications."
Based in Woburn, MA and Albany, NY, Magnolia Solar was founded in 2008 to develop and commercialize new thin-film solar cell technologies that employ nanostructured materials and designs. Both higher current and voltage outputs are expected from thin film solar cells that combine Magnolia's exclusive material structures with advanced optical coatings. Magnolia's technology has the ability to capture a larger part of the solar spectrum to produce high efficiency solar cells, and incorporates a unique nanostructure-based antireflection coating technology to further increase the solar cell's efficiency, thereby reducing the cost per watt. Magnolia Solar technology targets electrical power generation applications, such as power for electrical grids and distributed power applications ranging from commercial and residential lighting to specialized military applications.
