Jan 24 2011
Konarka Technologies, plastic solar cell manufacturer, and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have collaborated to advance plastic solar cell technologies. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are funding the partnership through their energy-associated grants.
Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin stated that their partnership with Konarka would enable them to address the vital requirements in the plastic solar cell market and to create suitable model systems for attaining the objectives of both the Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI) and Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) programs.
The partnership will allow Konarka to understand the physical restrictions on efficiencies of solar cell and key limiting procedures in particular solar cell system. The company recently attained a record-breaking plastic solar cell efficiency of 8.3% with its Power Plastic, a substance that changes light energy into electrical energy.
Solar cells made of plastics are affordable, flexible and lightweight and are manufactured in a large-scale printing procedure. Konarka's Power Plastic is utilized to produce solar panels for laptop casing, building windows and backpacks.
Source: http://www.konarka.com