Magnolia Solar waveguide solar cells demonstrate improved PV performance

Magnolia Solar has demonstrated high-voltage InGaAs quantum well waveguide solar cells, a unique structure capable of improving the performance of photovoltaic modules.  Many utilities are now moving towards using solar photovoltaic technology for co-generation of power during peak demand hours.

"An important consideration in setting up these peak-demand generation facilities is the land area requirement," Dr. Yash R. Puri, Executive Vice President of Magnolia Solar, said in an interview with FierceEnergy.  "The high-voltage solar cells will allow the utilities to reduce space requirements for the photovoltaic cogeneration facilities and reduce costs of these facilities."

World electricity demand is projected to increase by 2.2 percent each year between 2008 and 2035, according to the International Energy Agency, leading to about 5,900 GW of gross capacity addition.

"This technology will allow the solar photovoltaic generation to play a more significant role in this capacity expansion as utilities shift to low-carbon technologies for electricity generation," Puri said. "The main benefit to the utilities is that this technology provides a viable alternative to meet future power demands using environmentally friendly technologies in a cost-effective manner."

The scalable nature of the solar photovoltaic electricity generation systems allows utilities to facilitate power plants in remote locations where there is no grid.

"The solar modules typically last 25 years or more and these facilities require little maintenance, making them ideally suitable for remote plants. The high-efficiency, low cost targets of Magnolia's technology will help utilities improve ROI for these plants," Puri said.

These generation facilities can be integrated into a smart grid to optimize distribution as demand and supply on the grid fluctuate.

"High-voltage solar cells at a reasonable cost make the rooftop generation plants more cost effective," said Puri. "Combined with smart consumer appliances at home, this will provide the utilities the opportunity to incorporate renewable energy sources into their power supply mix while improving grid performance."

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