California Firm's Unique Product May Change Solar Industry
Santa Clarita, California-based BioSolar (OTC:BSRC) has developed a “biobacksheet” that may change the solar industry.
The firm reports a successful pilot run of BioBacksheet-A, a product featuring an absolute moisture barrier for the thin-film solar cell market. The announcement follows BioSolar’s recent news that the BioBacksheet-C, designed for the traditional C-Si PV modules, will be the company’s first product commercially available during the later half of 2009.
BioSolar is the developer of breakthrough technology producing bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic solar cells.
BioSolar’s production of bio-based materials from renewable plant sources reduces the cost per watt of solar cells. Most of the solar industry is focused on photovoltaic efficiency to reduce cost. BioSolar claims to be the first company to introduce a new dimension of cost reduction by replacing petroleum-based plastic solar cell components with durable bio-based materials.
When the firm announced the successful prototype run of the new BioBacksheet-A, BioSolar’s CEO David Lee recognized that the fastest growing segment of the photovoltaic market is thin film, particularly copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic panels, requiring backsheets with a challenging water vapor transmission rate of nearly zero.
“BioSolar has accepted this challenge, and has developed our BioBacksheet-A with absolute moisture barrier with green components,” said Lee. “The three layer laminate film consisting of 100 percent recyclable aluminum foil is the center core sandwiched between outer layers of bio-based polymer films, making our product unique in the industry.”
Lee said the initial pilot line run (a scaled down prototyping run) of the BioBacksheet-A was highly successful, and samples of this product will be subjected to an extensive list of testing once initial evaluation of the backsheet on modules is complete.
The company’s line of proprietary BioBacksheet protective coverings are designed to replace expensive and hazardous petroleum-based film with a bio-based one, creating a more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective solar panel component. The firm’s bio-based materials – both individually and in combination – meet or exceed the characteristics of various testing and performance standards for the photovoltaic industry.
With 30 years of experience writing, Robert's articles have appeared in the New York Times, North American Windpower, and Distributed Energy.
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