QuantaSol licenses new tech to enhance its solar cells

Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey-based QuantaSol said today it has licensed worldwide rights to new technology out of the University of Houston to make its manufacturing process simpler, less expensive and further improve solar cell efficiency. The news also marks the company’s first major collaboration.

The company designs and manufactures quantum well solar cells. Quantum wells are nanostructures intended to expand photovoltaic surface area. The company said its crystalline structures can be tuned during manufacturing to overcome absorption problems associated with existing concentrated photovoltaic cells.

The quantum well effect also improves photovoltaic conversion efficiency, which was demonstrated with its recent world record efficiency single junction device.

In June, the company said its new single junction device achieved 28.3 percent efficiency illuminated by 500 times concentrated sun light (see Has the most efficient single junction solar cell arrived?).

Keith Barnham, QuantaSol's chief scientific officer and co-founder, said in today’s news release the company has already tested the benefits of the university’s nitride materials in the production of its quantum wells.

It plans to continue to work with the school to further develop the materials growth technology, leading to commercial production expected in 2010.

By using dilute nitrides, QuantaSol wants to lower the number of quantum well layers it needs to introduce into each junction, while maintaining or increasing solar efficiency. According to the company, this further reduces the thickness and manufacturing cost of its production devices.

In May, QuantaSol raised £1.35 million ($2.03 million) from previous investors Low Carbon Accelerator, Imperial Innovations, Numis Securities, Netscientific and Sheffield University Enterprise (see Please sir, may I have some Mohr? and Extreme makeover: Solar edition?).