Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Using hydrogen dilution, we have made the highest efficiency solar cells and
panels. Much of the work is proprietary, and that is why we have a comfortable lead
over anybody else in the world in terms of cell efficiency....
We have also published extensively, explaining the role of hydrogen dilution.We
have shown that the use of hydrogen dilution results in a better structure of the
material; it is still amorphous but has a better order than the conventional amor-
phous material.
From a practical point of view, hydrogen dilution is a necessary requirement for
obtaining high efficiency cells. Every industry is using it, and new understanding is
still emerging.
In 1994, while giving a presentation about the company's products, Guha
showed a slide of rooftop solar cells. An architect in the audience exclaimed
“But it's so ugly! Who would want that on their house?”When Guha returned
to his office in Troy, that comment was on his mind. He called a staff meeting
and proposed that they find a way to make solar cells look more like standard
roofing material. Perhaps, he suggested, the cells could even be incorporated
into roofing shingles rather than mounted separately on a metal frame.
His group of 25, including researchers and other staff members, imme-
diately began working on the problem. They studied roofing shingles and
experimented with production processes. Collaboration was essential,
according to Guha:
Science has become very sophisticated these days, and quite often you need people
belonging to different disciplines to develop a concept to its fruition. This is why
teamwork is so important.The idea was mine in terms of developing a solar panel
which will look like a conventional shingle and can be installed the same way. Kais
Younnan is a mechanical engineer who looked at the logistics of how the shingle
can be designed such that it resembles the ordinary shingles, and still will work as
a solar cell.Troy Glatfelter worked on different materials that will complete the solar
panel so that it can withstand the rigors of the outside weather for 20 years or
more. Jeff Yang was the leader of the team who coordinated the efforts of Troy,
Kais, and others, and also made many original contributions.
The product they developed is a photovoltaic panel, 7 feet long and a foot
wide, that is lightweight and flexible, yet rugged and durable; it has no mov-
ing parts and is easy to install. Produced in a brownish color with subtle
variations, it blends in well with conventional roofing shingles. This inno-
vation was not in the basic technology of photovoltaics, but in the design,
materials, and production process.
