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Solar3D Pursues International Patent Protection for its 3-Dimensional Solar Cell

08-Sep-2013 | Source : | Visits : 7218
SANTA BARBARA, CA - Solar3D Inc., the developer of a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, announced in a press release the World Intellectual Property Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, has published the patent application of the Solar3D Solar Cell. The patent application was filed on February 20 under Application No.PCT/US2013/026914 and published on August 29.

“One of the greatest technology opportunities in the solar business is to develop a solar cell that can produce more energy through a longer portion of the day,” said Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D. “Solar3D Cell is that type of technology. Having our patent application published is an important step in securing broad international intellectual property protection that will allow us to take the product to market with full confidence.”

The company’s technology team is currently building its 3rd generation prototype, which will be less expensive to manufacture and result in more powerful performance than the previous versions. Its initial 2012 prototype design was calculated to produce just over 25% efficiency, the highest of any silicon solar cell. Even more important was an originally unanticipated feature — wide-angle light collection — allowing for the generation of electricity throughout more times of the days and seasons. This feature increases the length of time during which light can be effectively converted to electricity, relative to current technology. Current technology is most effective for a few hours in the middle of the day.

Solar3D Inc. is developing a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Up to 30% of incident sunlight is currently reflected off the surface of conventional solar cells, and more is lost inside the solar cell materials. Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, our innovative solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional design to trap sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons. An innovative wide-angle light collection feature on the cell surface allows for the collection of sunlight over a range of angles during the day. This next generation solar cell will be dramatically more efficient, resulting in a lower cost per watt that will make solar power affordable for the world.
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