Better Solar With New Science

Space age solar solution moves toward production; A consortium of European research institutes has received €10.6 million in EU funding to establish pilot production of a high efficiency module concept developed by Swiss startup Insolight. The module combines high efficiency multijunction cells with a solar concentrator lens and has previously demonstrated 29% efficiency

Mark Hutchins, September 4, 2019 (PV Magazine)

“…[The European Union awarded €10.6 million to Hiperion consortium of 16 European research institutes and companies for] a pilot production line of a novel PV technology developed by Insolight, a Swiss startup spun out of the renowned École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne…[The four-year project will] demonstrate the technology can be produced cost effectively and integrated into crystalline silicon manufacturing…[The technology] is based on what it describes as ‘space-grade’ multijunction solar cells] mounted on a conventional silicon back plane…

click to enlarge

The module is topped with a layer of [1 square mm] optical lenses which concentrate sunlight onto the cells…[with a ‘microtracking’ process which moves] horizontally a few millimeters per day to keep the concentrated light beams aligned with the cells…[It] has demonstrated 29% module efficiency and cell efficiencies in the lab have been measured at 36%...[The concept] can be adopted as a standalone solar module or used as an additional layer on a module…[to allow it to] perform efficiently in cloudy conditions with little direct sunlight…[P]roduction lines can be adapted to [mass] produce modules incorporating Insolight’s technology…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet