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National Laboratory Call for Research and Development Projects

The Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP or Solar Program) initiated a call for foundational photovoltaics and concentrating solar power research and development activities among the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories.

This effort complements ongoing SETP-funded private-sector research and supports the mission of the Solar Program to increase widespread commercialization of clean solar energy technologies.

Background

This opportunity supports new projects for R&D in next-generation photovoltaic (PV) devices and processes, R&D for PV supply chain and crosscutting technologies, and a new tool capability in silicon wafer replacement. In concentrating solar power (CSP), funded projects include research on advanced heat transfer fluids (HTF) and novel thermal storage and enhancing capabilities for testing and evaluating advanced concepts.

Awardees

DOE will invest up to $17 million in the following new national lab R&D projects. The investment is part of $117.6 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, which was announced in May 2009. The winners were announced on October 8, 2009.

Argonne National Laboratory

  • Interdigitated Cu2S Thin Film Photovoltaics
    This project will develop high efficiency (>20%) photovoltaics to be produced from low cost and unconventional materials through an interdigitated device architecture using atomic layer deposition (ALD). If successful, interdigitated copper sulfide (Cu2S) thin film PV could meet or exceed the efficiency of existing commercial PV systems, while dramatically decreasing materials and processing costs. ($750,000)

  • Transparent Conducting Coatings for Cost Effective Photovoltaics Manufactured Using Atomic Layer Deposition
    This project will develop new transparent conducting coatings and methods for depositing them onto PV cells using ALD. This new cross-cutting deposition technology will benefit a wide range of PV devices including nanocoaxial solar cells,  dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), nanostructured thin film solar cells, amorphous silicon solar cells and multijunction concentrated PV devices. ($945,000)

  • Dual Purpose Advanced HTF with Enhanced Thermal Properties and Thermal Energy Storage Capabilities
    This project will develop engineered nanoparticles and incorporate them into heat transfer fluids for improved thermal storage for CSP systems. ($1,000,000)

Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Assessment of Silicon Nanowire Architecture for PV Application
    This project will develop silicon nanowire solar cells that would require about 1/10 the amount of silicon as conventional crystalline silicon solar cells. This would reduce the cost of silicon solar cells to around 50 cents per watt and cut the cost of solar-generated electricity in half. ($1,049,443)

  • Hybrid Organic Silicone Heat Transfer Fluids Utilizing Endothermic Chemical Reactions for Latent Heat Storage
    This project will develop silicone-based heat transfer fluids for CSP systems. These fluids are expected to have improved thermodynamic efficiencies compared to conventional fluids and be stable at temperatures approaching 600°C. If successful, a 20%-33% cost reduction could be realized. ($966,957)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Imaging Techniques for Statistical Process Control on a Solar Cell Manufacturing Line
    This project will develop imaging techniques for diagnostics and characterization of material quality and device performance immediately before and after processing steps, instead of waiting only for the measurement of the finished cell. The availability of such on-line metrology will facilitate higher manufacturing yields, faster production line ramp-up, lower production cost, and higher module efficiencies for a wide range of PV technologies and manufacturers. ($600,000)

  • Next-Generation Inverted Metamorphic Multi-junction (IMM) III-V Solar Cells
    This project builds on current state of the art for 40.8% efficient three-junction IMM cells. Through advanced material development, a fourth band gap will be incorporated into IMM cells, enabling these cells to approach efficiencies as high as 50%. ($900,000)

  • Black Silicon Anti-Reflection: Increased Wafer Silicon Efficiency with Reduced Manufacturing Costs
    This project will enable a disruptive black silicon approach to anti-reflection in wafer silicon PV cells based upon a nanostructured graded-density surface layer that can reduce PV module cost and increase energy production. If successful, this technology could reduce the cost of solar-generated electricity by as much as 2 cents per kWh.  The technology could be incorporated into commercial production systems as early as 2011. ($1,000,000)

  • Nanomaterials for Thermal Energy Storage in Concentrating Solar Power Plants
    The goal of this project is to develop new nanomaterials and encapsulation strategies that could lead to a two to four fold improvement in the thermal energy storage density for CSP systems. These nanostructures are expected to be cost-competitive and show improved performance over conventional phase change systems. ($1,000,000)

  • Silicon Wafer Replacement Tool for Process Development and Integration Laboratory
    This project will support the U.S. solar industry by enabling research and development of cutting-edge manufacturable PV technologies. The availability of this large-area silicon wafer replacement tool will enable evaluation of epitaxial crystal silicon growth on low-cost substrates and facilitate transfer of these technologies to full-scale manufacturing. ($2,000,000)

  • Advanced Thermal Energy Storage and Solar-Field Test and Evaluation Facilities
    This project will enhance and expedite manufacturing, testing, and evaluation of advanced CSP technologies by upgrading and adding equipment and facilities used to characterize new optical reflector and absorber materials, heat transfer fluids, storage fluids, and storage materials, as well as storage and collector systems and subsystems. These testing capabilities will support the U.S. solar industry in making CSP technologies cost-competitive for intermediate- and base-load power generation. ($4,398,218)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Evaluation of Polyaromatic Naphthalene Derivatives as Solar HTF
    This project will develop polyaromatic hydrocarbons as heat transfer fluids for improved thermodynamic efficiency in CSP systems. These fluids are expected to be stable to temperatures approaching 600°C, have good thermal characteristics, and be readily available. ($935,000)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  • Multilayer Window for Improved Performance in Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) Solar Cells
    This project will develop improved window barrier and interlayer materials for use in CdTe-based solar cells. If successful, this could reduce the cost of solar-generated to under 11 cents per kWh. ($750,000)

  • Thermochemical Energy Storage for Stirling Concentrating Solar Power
    This project will develop thermochemical energy storage for dish-based CSP systems.  If successful, this could double the number of hours these systems can generate electricity and result in a 20% reduction in the cost of solar-generated electricity, making them competitive for intermediate-load power generation. ($747,974)

Savannah River National Laboratory

  • Thermally-stable Ionic Liquid Carriers for Nanoparticle-based Advanced Heat Transfer CSP
    This project will enhance the heat transfer and solar thermal energy collection of CSP systems by dispersing small volume percentages of nanoparticles into the ionic liquid carriers. If successful, this could result in a 10%-40% improvement in thermal conductivity. ($1,005,000)