Konarka, one of the early adopters of thin plastic solar cells has recently unveiled news about their latest prototype achieving a light conversion efficiency of 8.3 percent.
Back in 2009, when we had presented an article about them stating the achievement of a 6.1%, they were far off the current record. Of course, the 8.3% is only half of what current silicon-based solar cells can do, but it’s also close to what they had been not so long ago, so there is place for new breakthroughs.
At the heart of Konarka’s technology is a photo-reactive polymer material invented by Konarka co-founder and Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Alan Heeger. This proprietary material can be printed or coated inexpensively onto flexible substrates using roll-to-roll manufacturing, similar to the way newspaper is printed on large rolls of paper. The resulting Power Plastic can then be manufactured into a wide range of end-use products. (konarka.com)
“This unsurpassed NREL certification opens new doors for the commercial production of cost-effective, efficient electricity for numerous large scale applications,” said Howard Berke, Konarka CEO.
To Whom it may concern,
I am teaching a class on various PV materials and I’m having a difficult time finding old samples of Konarka plastic films. I would be forever in you debt and compensate for any and all expenses if you happen to have some laying around. Please let me know.
Sincerely
Scott Hohulin