US solar cell innovators tackle the challenges of manufacturing in the United States

June 9, 2019 by Tina Casey

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President * Trump has made a lot of promises to coal miners during his 2016 campaign, but the US energy production sector continues to produce coal as a wet sock after a cold march, with the result that it will not be enough. help from the US Department of Energy. The agency's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has just launched the next phase of a national competition to accelerate solar cell manufacturing in the United States, which will eliminate coal even more quickly.

Solar cell manufacturing in the United States

The DOE is looking at renewable energy from all angles, including reviving the moribund solar cell manufacturing sector in the country.

Do you remember when Bell Labs scientists invented silicon solar cells and American companies became the world leaders in solar cell manufacturing? If you do, leave us a note in the comment thread. The United States has never fully leveraged its lead in solar power and is far behind.

Although the manufacture of solar cells in the United States has grown recently, it is a day late and a dollar less. Last year, the Congressional Research Service summarized the current situation as follows:

… an ITC from August 2017 [International Trade Commission] The report revealed that between 2012 and 2016, the production capacity of US PV module manufacturers had increased by 34% and domestic production by 24%. Nevertheless, falling prices have prevented domestic PV manufacturers from operating cost-effectively. From January 1, 2012 to July 2017, more than two dozen national PV producers were bankrupt or closed in the United States.

Ouch!

Making America Great Again, Solar Cell Edition

Well, that certainly gives a new meaning to the commander's campaign slogan. While seemingly destined to return to the peak of American coal use (as in the 1920s, for example), making America even bigger could serve the nation's role to revive the industry. solar world.

In fact, the infamous Trump solar tariff was attributed to the recent increase in photovoltaic capacity in the United States, although the overall effect on employment in the solar sector has been mixed (given that States can have a much greater impact). impact on solar deployment than anything that walks out of Washington, DC).

Be that as it may, it seems that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is not waiting for the solar energy tariff to fade, as planned. On June 7, 2018, NREL launched the new Energy Made American Made-Made Solar Contest, with the goal of giving new impetus to the solar power manufacturing sector in the United States by guiding collaborative efforts between federal research labs, innovators and contractors.

Here we are a year later and NREL has just announced a group of 10 teams that have passed the first stage of vetting, competing with more than 150 other projects for the coveted spots (thanks to the Technology Incubator own, Greentown Labs, for hosting the contest., from elsewhere).

Each of the 10 teams receives $ 100,000 to fund their progress towards the second phase of the competition, so it's not over until it's over. The two teams that survived the second round are eligible to share an additional $ 500,000 in prizes.

They will also receive assistance of up to $ 75,000 in national laboratories or other qualified facilities, all designed to accelerate the transition from project development to the commercial market.

Many ways to improve, US Cheaper Solar

The price of solar cells is only one factor in the cost of installing a new solar panel, and the top 10 teams represent different approaches to reduce the cost of solar energy.

Innovations include new inverters, power systems and controllers, fire safety systems, solar modules and rooftop shelving systems, as well as new solar cells designed for the life cycle and enabling improved recovery of resources at the same time. l & # 39; back.

A particularly interesting project is part of the continuity of manufacturing in the residential construction sector. The Phase3 Photovoltaics team is working on a "new power integration system to integrate PV systems in prefabricated homes during the manufacturing process."

CleanTechnica Contact Phase3 for more details on the project, so stay tuned to learn more about it.

Among the 10 winners, a perovskite-silicon solar cell hybrid developed by Tandem PV (formerly Iris PV) due to perovskite is also of particular interest.

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* History in development.

Image: Perovskite-silicon solar cell via the US Department of Energy.

Keywords: Electricity, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Renewable Energy, United States, United States