Nanosolar, which produces thin-film solar cells and panels using nanoparticle inks and CIGS, has met or exceeded all 10 key tasks in conclusion of a U.S. Department of Energy grant worth $42 million for a Solar America Initiative (SAI) Technology Pathway Partnership (TPP) program.
In 2006, Nanosolar had received the grant to design large-scale photovoltaic systems that deliver an unprecedented price per watt performance for use in commercial buildings. The company got sign off from the U.S. Department of Energy in April 2012.
The TPP project began in September 2007 and involved four partners, including Nanosolar. The objective of the project was to develop solar electric systems for flat commercial rooftops to provide grid-parity along with other alternative energy sources. Nanosolar provided advanced cell and module technology, while Conergy contributed inverter technology and systems optimization and Sunlink offered mounting technology. The pilot installation was done by Suntechnics.
The SAI team aimed at utilizing Nanosolar's advanced scalable photovoltaic cell technology in large-scale installations on commercial buildings to provide grid-parity photovoltaic systems by developing an integrated portfolio of designs and system components based on advancements in mounting, inverter and module technologies.
During the project, Nanosolar achieved cell power conversion efficiency of over 13% on the production floor that has 115 MW of nameplate annual capacity. The company installed 3.4 MW of solar panels for two pilot deployments, a 2.88 MW installation situated in Oregon and a 550 kW installation for Camp Perry located in Ohio. Moreover, the company has created, sold, and installed at 14 sites across the world.
According to third-party estimations, Nanosolar will achieve grid parity economics in 2015 as indicated by DOE program objectives. The company keeps on collecting consistency and performance data provided by third-party testing laboratories. Independent engineering institutions and firms analyzes this data.
Source: http://www.nanosolar.com