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Coating for glass substrate with abrasion, chemical and UV resist
PATENTS
Patents Organic photosensitive device with an exciton blocking layer Assignee: Princeton University, USA The present invention generally relates to organic thin-film photosensitive optoelectronic devices. More specifically, it is directed to organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices, solar cells and visible spectrum photodetectors, having an exciton blocking layer. Organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices (‘OPODs’) include an exciton blocking layer to enhance device efficiency. There are single heterostructure, stacked and wave-guide type embodiments. Photodetector OPODs have multilayer structures and an exciton blocking layer and guidelines for selection of the exciton blocking layers are provided. Patent number: US 6451415 Publication date:September 17, 2002 Inventors: Stephen R Forrest, Vladimir Bulovic, Peter Peumans
Coating for glass substrate with abrasion, chemical and UV resist Assignee: AFG Industries Inc, USA In the area of photovoltaics there is a constant push for greater efficiencies. Typical commercially available solar cell efficiencies vary anywhere from 10% for polycrystalline cells to as high of 25% for single crystal. In order to increase the energy output of the cells, manufacturers use glass substrates with higher transmittance than normal float glass. This increases the transmittance by approximately 2%. If that transmittance could be increased further, it would be a boon to the solar cell industry, lowering the cost per watt and making solar power more affordable. The present invention relates to a polymeric coating composition for application onto glass substrates for anti-reflective properties. The coating is provided, via chemical grafting that involves the use of monomers and/or prepolymers, catalyst, and graft initiator. When applied onto the surface of the glass substrate it forms a polymeric film chemically bonded to the glass with excellent adhesion. This coating can reduce the reflectance of the coated glass surface to as close to zero as possible, thus maximising transmittance and providing resistance to abrasion, water/chemical attack, and UV degradation. Patent number: US 6352780 Publication date: March 5, 2002 Inventors: Mohan L. Sanduja, Carl Horowitz, AbrahamThomas, Paul Thottathill
14
Photovoltaics Bulletin
Solar tile and fabrication method Assignee: The Boeing Company, USA This invention provides a solar tile and method for fabricating that employing a single coverslide and/or a flexible circuit that includes openings for receiving solder, that extend completely through the circuit. The method of fabricating the solar tile is capable of machine assembly and allows the solar cells to be placed so that a single coverslide covers the entire solar tile, as opposed to individual coverslides for each solar cell. The use of a single coverslide reduces cell edge and cell-to-cell interconnect exposure to damaging plasma radiation, and allows the solar tile to safely operate above 50 volts without conformal coating of the interconnects. The solar tile of this invention may also include a flexible circuit that includes openings for receiving solder, that extend completely through the circuit to allow solder connections to be inspected during fabrication of the solar tile which allows for greater solder connection integrity. Patent number: US 6476314 Application date: November 5, 2002 Inventors: John Scott Bauman, Craig S Flora
Solar system for a motor vehicle Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH, Germany A solar system for a motor vehicle, which is provided with a solar generator and a DC/DC converter unit. The solar system is switchable to supplying a power consuming device in the motor vehicle or for recharging of the motor vehicle battery. The DC/DC converter unit is made with two poles on the output side and functionally comprises a first and a second DC/DC converter which are respectively optimised with respect to the supply function of the power consuming device and the recharging function. There is a changeover unit which acquires the voltage at the output of the DC/DC converter unit and switches the output, depending on the acquired voltage, to either the first DC/DC converter or the second DC/DC converter. Patent number US 6476315 Application date: November 5, 2002 Inventors: Thomas Ganz
Solar-powered refrigeration system Assignee: NASA, USA It is desirable to provide an efficient, inexpensive, commercial small capacity solar refrigerator which can operate for several days in the absence of sunlight. As batteries are often expensive and require regular maintenance, it would further be desirable to provide such a solar refrigerator which does not require batteries. A solar powered vapour compression refrigeration system is practicable with thermal
storage and novel control techniques. In one embodiment, the refrigeration system includes a photovoltaic panel, a variable speed compressor, an insulated enclosure, and a thermal reservoir. The photovoltaic (PV) panel converts sunlight into DC (direct current) electrical power. The DC electrical power drives a compressor that circulates refrigerant through a vapour compression refrigeration loop to extract heat from the insulated enclosure. The thermal reservoir is situated inside the insulated enclosure and includes a phase change material. As heat is extracted from the insulated enclosure, the phase change material is frozen, and thereafter is able to act as a heat sink to maintain the temperature of the insulated enclosure in the absence of sunlight. The conversion of solar power into stored thermal energy is optimised by a compressor control method that effectively maximises the compressor's usage of available energy. A capacitor is provided to smooth the power voltage and to provide additional current during compressor start-up. A controller monitors the rate of change of the smoothed power voltage to determine if the compressor is operating below or above the available power maximum, and adjusts the compressor speed accordingly. In this manner, the compressor operation is adjusted to convert substantially all available solar power into stored thermal energy. Patent number: US 6469487 Publication date: October 22, 2002 Inventors: Michael K Ewert, David Bergeron III
High concentration spectrum splitting solar collector Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation, USA This invention relates to solar power collection and particularly to solar collectors, solar concentrators, and spectrum splitters for improved collection solar power collection efficiency. A solar concentrator includes high concentrating reflective or refractive optics concentrating collected solar light along a first axis and includes spectrum splitting reflective or refractive optics splitting collected solar light along a second axis for illuminating PV solar panels. The spectrum split light has many frequency components, respectively illuminating horizontally aligned subarrays of cells of associated bandgaps, forming a panel matrix of cells for high concentration spectrum splitting solar power collection for efficient power conversion. Patent number: US 6469241 Publication date: October 22, 2002 Inventor: Jay P. Penn
January 2003
Patents Organic photosensitive device with an exciton blocking layer Assignee: Princeton University, USA The present invention generally relates to organic thin-film photosensitive optoelectronic devices. More specifically, it is directed to organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices, solar cells and visible spectrum photodetectors, having an exciton blocking layer. Organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices (‘OPODs’) include an exciton blocking layer to enhance device efficiency. There are single heterostructure, stacked and wave-guide type embodiments. Photodetector OPODs have multilayer structures and an exciton blocking layer and guidelines for selection of the exciton blocking layers are provided. Patent number: US 6451415 Publication date:September 17, 2002 Inventors: Stephen R Forrest, Vladimir Bulovic, Peter Peumans
Coating for glass substrate with abrasion, chemical and UV resist Assignee: AFG Industries Inc, USA In the area of photovoltaics there is a constant push for greater efficiencies. Typical commercially available solar cell efficiencies vary anywhere from 10% for polycrystalline cells to as high of 25% for single crystal. In order to increase the energy output of the cells, manufacturers use glass substrates with higher transmittance than normal float glass. This increases the transmittance by approximately 2%. If that transmittance could be increased further, it would be a boon to the solar cell industry, lowering the cost per watt and making solar power more affordable. The present invention relates to a polymeric coating composition for application onto glass substrates for anti-reflective properties. The coating is provided, via chemical grafting that involves the use of monomers and/or prepolymers, catalyst, and graft initiator. When applied onto the surface of the glass substrate it forms a polymeric film chemically bonded to the glass with excellent adhesion. This coating can reduce the reflectance of the coated glass surface to as close to zero as possible, thus maximising transmittance and providing resistance to abrasion, water/chemical attack, and UV degradation. Patent number: US 6352780 Publication date: March 5, 2002 Inventors: Mohan L. Sanduja, Carl Horowitz, AbrahamThomas, Paul Thottathill
14
Photovoltaics Bulletin
Solar tile and fabrication method Assignee: The Boeing Company, USA This invention provides a solar tile and method for fabricating that employing a single coverslide and/or a flexible circuit that includes openings for receiving solder, that extend completely through the circuit. The method of fabricating the solar tile is capable of machine assembly and allows the solar cells to be placed so that a single coverslide covers the entire solar tile, as opposed to individual coverslides for each solar cell. The use of a single coverslide reduces cell edge and cell-to-cell interconnect exposure to damaging plasma radiation, and allows the solar tile to safely operate above 50 volts without conformal coating of the interconnects. The solar tile of this invention may also include a flexible circuit that includes openings for receiving solder, that extend completely through the circuit to allow solder connections to be inspected during fabrication of the solar tile which allows for greater solder connection integrity. Patent number: US 6476314 Application date: November 5, 2002 Inventors: John Scott Bauman, Craig S Flora
Solar system for a motor vehicle Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH, Germany A solar system for a motor vehicle, which is provided with a solar generator and a DC/DC converter unit. The solar system is switchable to supplying a power consuming device in the motor vehicle or for recharging of the motor vehicle battery. The DC/DC converter unit is made with two poles on the output side and functionally comprises a first and a second DC/DC converter which are respectively optimised with respect to the supply function of the power consuming device and the recharging function. There is a changeover unit which acquires the voltage at the output of the DC/DC converter unit and switches the output, depending on the acquired voltage, to either the first DC/DC converter or the second DC/DC converter. Patent number US 6476315 Application date: November 5, 2002 Inventors: Thomas Ganz
Solar-powered refrigeration system Assignee: NASA, USA It is desirable to provide an efficient, inexpensive, commercial small capacity solar refrigerator which can operate for several days in the absence of sunlight. As batteries are often expensive and require regular maintenance, it would further be desirable to provide such a solar refrigerator which does not require batteries. A solar powered vapour compression refrigeration system is practicable with thermal
storage and novel control techniques. In one embodiment, the refrigeration system includes a photovoltaic panel, a variable speed compressor, an insulated enclosure, and a thermal reservoir. The photovoltaic (PV) panel converts sunlight into DC (direct current) electrical power. The DC electrical power drives a compressor that circulates refrigerant through a vapour compression refrigeration loop to extract heat from the insulated enclosure. The thermal reservoir is situated inside the insulated enclosure and includes a phase change material. As heat is extracted from the insulated enclosure, the phase change material is frozen, and thereafter is able to act as a heat sink to maintain the temperature of the insulated enclosure in the absence of sunlight. The conversion of solar power into stored thermal energy is optimised by a compressor control method that effectively maximises the compressor's usage of available energy. A capacitor is provided to smooth the power voltage and to provide additional current during compressor start-up. A controller monitors the rate of change of the smoothed power voltage to determine if the compressor is operating below or above the available power maximum, and adjusts the compressor speed accordingly. In this manner, the compressor operation is adjusted to convert substantially all available solar power into stored thermal energy. Patent number: US 6469487 Publication date: October 22, 2002 Inventors: Michael K Ewert, David Bergeron III
High concentration spectrum splitting solar collector Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation, USA This invention relates to solar power collection and particularly to solar collectors, solar concentrators, and spectrum splitters for improved collection solar power collection efficiency. A solar concentrator includes high concentrating reflective or refractive optics concentrating collected solar light along a first axis and includes spectrum splitting reflective or refractive optics splitting collected solar light along a second axis for illuminating PV solar panels. The spectrum split light has many frequency components, respectively illuminating horizontally aligned subarrays of cells of associated bandgaps, forming a panel matrix of cells for high concentration spectrum splitting solar power collection for efficient power conversion. Patent number: US 6469241 Publication date: October 22, 2002 Inventor: Jay P. Penn
January 2003