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Directory:Konarka's PowerPlastic Photovoltaic Solar

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Konarka is an advanced research and development company, dedicated to the commercialization of power solutions based on a proprietary, solid-state, flexible, low-cost photovoltaics platform that can convert sunlight and even indoor light into electricity.

Unlike other photovoltaic technologies that incorporate glass, Konarka's technology is polymer-based, making it lightweight and portable. The company's PV module technology converts both sunlight and indoor light into direct current (DC) electrical energy and can be incorporated into a wide range of applications, creating an economical, versatile power source.

Konarka has over 200 global patents and patents pending and exclusive worldwide rights to nanomaterials "cold sintering" technology from the University of Massachusetts.

Contents

About

Official Website

Latest Developments

Sept. 9, 2008

The New Energy Congress adds Konarka to its list of Top 100 Clean Energy Technologies. This feature page at PESWiki.com was also posted.

Mar. 4, 2008

Konarka Announces First-Ever Demonstration of Inkjet Printed Solar Cells- “Demonstrating the use of inkjet printing technology as a fabrication tool for highly efficient solar cells and sensors with small area requirements is a major milestone,? commented Rick Hess, president and CEO at Konarka. “This essential breakthrough in the field of printed solar cells positions Konarka as an emerging leader in printed photovoltaics.?

Sept. 29, 2005

Konarka, with their Power Plastic that converts light to energy, and Textronics, with their electronic textiles capability, have joined to create prototype garments and fashion accessories with portable, wearable power-generation capabilities. (PESN)

How it Works

PowerPlastic can absorb low light level efficiently. The main component of Konarka’s photovoltaic cells is nanoscale titanium dioxide particles coating, a light-sensitive dye that generates electricity when light shines on.

PowerPlastic solar panel is created using roll to roll manufacturing process. Roll to roll process is the process in which transparent electrode, printed active material, primary electrode and substrate are printed onto transparent packaging to make a solar panel. This manufacturing process is inexpensive, environmental friendly, and simple. Currently, Konarka is invested by US military, the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerece, etc. Konarka’s solar panel is a great prospect of future alternative energy source.

The EPFL's dye-sensitized technology was developed by the world-renowned scientist, Dr. Michael Graetzel, and enables photovoltaic technology to conduct energy across a broad spectrum of light, both indoors and outdoors. Konarka is able to considerably enhance this technology, based on the company's own inventions and its exclusive, worldwide licensing rights to proprietary processes from the University of Massachusetts. These processes will enable production at lower temperatures, which serves as the foundation for extremely low manufacturing costs.

Inkjet printing is a commonly used technique for controlled deposition of solutions of functional materials in specific locations on a substrate and can provide easy and fast deposition of polymer films over a large area. The demonstration confirms that organic solar cells can be processed with printing technologies with little or no loss compared to “clean room? semiconductor technologies such as spin coating. The most popular printing tool for organic electronics, inkjet printing could become a smart tool to manufacturer solar cells with multiple colors and patterns for lower power requirement products, like indoor or sensor applications. Inkjet printing is considered very promising because the polymer devices can be fabricated very easily because of the compatibility with various substrates and it does not require additional patterning.


Costs

PowerPlastic is a semi-conductor organic material that are thin, lightweight, and very flexible. Comparing to traditional solar panel, PowerPlastic provides better performance, lower cost, and lower toxicity.

Advantages

  • Printable solar cells

Applications

  • Konarka’s PowerPlastic® takes light in and delivers power out. When integrated into products, this direct current (DC) electrical energy can be used immediately, stored for later use, or converted to other forms of energy. Because Konarka’s solar material utilizes a wider range of the light spectrum than conventional solar cells, all visible light sources — not just sunlight — can be used to generate power. Integrating PowerPlastic® into products can enhance battery life without increasing or otherwise impeding form factor. Our material’s flexibility, conformability, performance, light weight, and price enable Konarka to expand into several key application areas.

Konarka has developed a series of standard products to serve portable power needs, with sizes including 1/2W, 4W, 8W, and 30W. Each panel will come with integrated connectors to allow easy use for portable, indoor and outdoor applications.

Independent Testing

Patents

Konarka is considered a worldwide leader in a new generation of photovoltaics and has an intellectual property portfolio with more than 200 global patents and patent applications covering chemistry, architecture, processes and devices utilizing the material.

Konarka has a dozen patents pending and exclusive worldwide rights to nanomaterials "cold sintering" technology from the University of Massachusetts.

  • 6706963, (Jan 25, 2002), "Photovoltaic cell interconnection"
  • 6858158, (an 24, 2003), "Low temperature interconnection of nanoparticles"
  • 6900382, (Jan 24, 2003), "Gel electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cells"
  • 6913713, (Jan 24, 2003), "Photovoltaic fibers"
  • 6924427, (Jan 24, 2003), "Wire interconnects for fabricating interconnected photovoltaic cells
  • 6933436, (Apr 27, 2001), "Photovoltaic cell"
  • 6949400, (Jan 24, 2003), "Ultrasonic slitting of photovoltaic cells and modules"
  • 7022910, (Mar 24, 2003), "Photovoltaic cells utilizing mesh electrodes"
  • 7071139, (Dec 20, 2002), "Oxynitride compounds, methods of preparation, and uses thereof"
  • 7186911, (Jan 24, 2003), "Methods of scoring for fabricating interconnected photovoltaic cells"

(Reference: Wikipedia)

Profiles

Company: Konarka Technologies, Inc

Founded in June of 2001, Konarka Technologies, Inc. is an advanced research and development company, dedicated to the commercialization of power solutions based on a proprietary, solid-state, flexible, low-cost photovoltaics (PV) platform. Unlike other photovoltaic technologies that incorporate glass, Konarka's technology is polymer-based, making it lightweight and portable. The company's PV module technology converts both sunlight and indoor light into direct current (DC) electrical energy and can be incorporated into a wide range of applications, creating an economical, versatile power source. Konarka has a dozen patents pending and exclusive worldwide rights to nanomaterials "cold sintering" technology from the University of Massachusetts. The company's talented technical staff is complimented by a Board of scientific and business advisors, including Nobel Laureate - Alan Heeger, also a founding member of the Board of Directors. Konarka Technologies is headquartered in Lowell, Mass.

It has been estimated that 3rd generation solar technologies will achieve higher efficiencies and lower costs than 1st or 2nd generation technologies (Green, M., Third Generation Photovoltaics, Advanced Solar Energy Conversion). Today, the 3rd generation approaches being investigated include dye-sensitized titania solar cells, organic photovoltaics, tandem cells, and materials that generate multiple electron-hole pairs. To maximize performance, Konarka scientists have been involved in research efforts in all of these areas, including novel combinations of these approaches.

Inventor: Dr. Michael Graetzel

Chief Scientist: Dr. Alan J. Heeger, Ph.D

In his research, Dr. Heeger has created a new approach to efficient, low cost, large area, flexible and light-weight solar cells. His work in this area over the past decade has provided a firm scientific foundation for "plastic" bulk heterojunction solar cells. He and his colleagues have made important progress toward the commercial realization of this goal. The first "plastic" solar cells fabricated from large scale, high speed printing were successfully demonstrated in July 2006.

Coverage

In the News

  • Mass Production of Plastic Solar Cells - Konarka, a solar-cell startup based in Lowell, MA, has opened a commercial-scale factory, with the capacity to produce enough organic solar cells every year to generate one gigawatt of electricity, the equivalent of a large nuclear reactor. (MIT Technology Review; Oct. 17, 2008)
  • Konarka Announces First-Ever Demonstration of Inkjet Printed Solar Cells - Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic®, a material that converts light to energy, announced the company successfully conducted the first-ever demonstration of manufacturing solar cells by highly efficient inkjet printing. (Konarka, Mar. 4, 2008)
  • Solar Nanotech Coming of Age - Leading "solar nanotechnology" companies like Nanosys, Nanosolar, and Konarka have created prototypes of thin rolls of highly efficient light-collecting plastics for spreading across rooftops or embedding in building materials -- at a price comparable to conventional energy sources. Roll-out could take up to five years. (EMagazine; July 19, 2005)
  • Konarka Acquires Siemens' Organic Photovoltaics - New generation of photovoltaics are inexpensive, easy-to-manufacture and versatile. These new plastic power cells will make it possible for any electronic device or structure to carry its own on-board source of renewable energy. (Energy Info Source, Sept. 7, 2004)
  • Partnership Pursues Full Spectrum Polymer Solar - Konarka, specializing in their polymer-based thin film solar approach, has agreed to work collaboratively with Evident Technologies, a company that specializes in "quantum dot" development and applications. The research aims to increase the sensitivity of Konarka's plastic cells to a wider range of the light spectrum. (Renewable Energy Access; March 29, 2005)
  • Konarka harnesses the sun god in pursuit of a scientist's dream - Spun out of research Tripathy conducted at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Konarka makes plastics that use solar power to run electrical devices -- for example, a chemical sensor that uses its plastic casing to harness power from sunlight. Tripathy's colleagues and former students formed the company at the end of 2000, shortly after his death. (Small Times, Sept. 3, 2002)


  • Konarka Technologies Becomes First Company in the Americas to Receive EPFL License for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells - Konarka Technologies, Inc. (KTI), an innovator in the development of flexible, polymer and nanoparticle-based photovoltaic technology, announced that it has been granted licensee rights to dye-sensitized solar cell technology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). As a result, Konarka will be able to leverage its own intellectual property in conjunction with the EPFL license, to expedite the commercialization of its photovoltaic (PV) technology. (BNet'; Aug. 13, 2002)

Other Coverage


  • Konarka Technologies, Inc. - Konarka develops and commercializes photovoltaic products that convert sunlight and indoor light into electricity. [how related to nano?] (NanoVIP.com)

Comments

See Discussion page

Competitors

  • Top 100: Solar > Thin Film > Dye Sensitized >
    G24 Innovations Ltd rolls out solar - Automated "roll-to-roll" manufacturing process transforms a lightweight roll of metal foil into a 100-pound half-mile of G24i’s Dye Sensitized Thin Film in less than three hours. This material is rugged, flexible, lightweight and generates electricity even indoors and in low light conditions.

Contact

Konarka Technologies, Inc.
116 John Street
Suite 12, 3rd Floor
Lowell, MA 01852 USA

P: +1 978-569-1400
F: +1 978-569-1402

Directories

See also

GENERAL:
- Directory:Solar - index of resources
- PowerPedia:Solar Energy - Encyclopedic review of history and future
- Videos:Solar
MODALITIES:
- Directory:Concentrated Solar Power
- Directory:Solar PhotoVoltaics | Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
- Directory:Home Generation:Solar Heating
- Directory:Thin Film Solar
- Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation
- Directory:Solar Tower
- Directory:Floating Solar Chimney
- Directory:Space Based Solar Power
- Directory:Solar Sails
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Directory:Plastic Solar Cells
- Directory:Silicon - more efficient uses, alternatives, methods
- Directory:Black Silicon
- Directory:Synchronous Solar Heliostat
- Directory:Solar:Installation and Consultation
- Directory:Solar:Largest
APPLICATIONS:
- Directory:Solar:Chargers
- Directory:Solar:Vehicles
- Directory:Solar Hydrogen
- OS:Solar Ethanol - distiller design
- Directory:Solar Pavement - black-body absorption of the asphalt

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