Verde Technologies advances perovskite solar production, eyeing efficiency boost and industry scalability.
In a significant stride toward commercializing advanced solar energy, Verde Technologies has successfully demonstrated compatibility of its perovskite thin film coating process with existing roll-to-roll production lines. As reported by PV Magazine, this advancement could bode well for the scalability and economic feasibility of solar production, given Verde’s specialization in both single-junction and tandem thin-film perovskite solar technologies. The breakthrough was achieved in collaboration with Connecticut-based Verico Technology, underscoring the potential for enhancing the efficiency of solar products on a larger scale.
The collaborative effort resulted in the successful application of a perovskite solution onto a sizable flexible substrate, utilizing standard production procedures and environmental conditions. Verde Technologies, spinning out of academic research conducted at the University of Vermont, has constructed a new process, potentially refining the industry-standard slot-die coating by achieving significant flexibility and rapid iteration cycles. This novel coating, known as Verde Slot Coating, suggests that findings at the small scale can be effectively translated to high-volume production lines, a crucial step for widespread adoption.
Verde Technologies, steered by CEO Skylar Bagdon, is embarking on a new phase that entails rigorous outdoor testing in cooperation with early adopters of their technology. The company’s perovskite cells have already demonstrated impressive lab-scale power conversion efficiencies exceeding 21%. By partnering with the Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercializing Technologies (PACT) consortium and a new solar research facility in Burlington, Vermont, Verde aims to validate these laboratory successes in real-world conditions.
Verde's roadmap envisions an initial focus on repowering projects, where outdated panels at utility-scale solar farms are replaced with more efficient options. Subsequently, the company plans to tackle other sectors requiring light, efficient photovoltaic solutions, like commercial building rooftops. Tapping into U.S. national research programs has already yielded fruit: Verde's collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Northern Illinois University granted access to cutting-edge perovskite cell innovations including lead sequestration and active encapsulation, fostering the firm’s technology pipeline.
Furthermore, the company's exclusive partnership with the University of Toledo positions it to bring to market stable, high-efficiency perovskite cells. Such collaborations, along with the company's recent grand prize accolade from the U.S. Department of Energy's Perovskite Startup Prize, underline Verde's commitment to reshaping the domestic solar manufacturing landscape. As it stands, Verde Technologies is poised to play a pivotal role in the future of renewable energy, combining innovative technology with strategic industry relationships.
Source: PV Mag
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