Air Products, Konarka to work on solar window modules

Lehigh Valley, Penn.-based Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE: APD) and Konarka of Lowell, Mass., announced today that they received a joint $4.7 million grant from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop solar window modules.

As part of the NIST's Advanced Technology Program, the companies plan to conduct research and development on transparent, flexible solar modules for windows and other building integrated applications.

"Our novel polythiophene-based hole injection layer materials have demonstrated clear lifetime enhancement in conventional organic photovoltaics, and we look forward to developing new grades suitable for transparent devices," said John Dickenson, senior business development manager at Air Products.

The companies said organic photovoltaic technology offers the potential for selecting materials for varying levels of transparency, capable of absorbing narrowly or broadly in one or more regions of the visible and near-infrared spectrum.

Air Products said it would develop high-conductivity polymers with more efficient charge injection capability in organic photovoltaic cells, improving overall cell electrical performance.

Konarka will further develop its patented, transparent, metallic grid electrode technology for the new cell and module architecture.

The companies expect the new modules will be suitable for use in windows capable of controlling transparency for privacy, regulating the wavelength of light passing through for energy conservation, and for aesthetics.

Air Products and Konarka said the materials are capable of harvesting indoor as well as outdoor light, so the solar modules could be integrated into building sensors, battery chargers, lighting and displays, and wireless security monitoring systems.

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