Konarka Technologies
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|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Solar energy |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters |
Lowell, Massachusetts, USA 42°38′50″N 71°18′28″W / 42.6471°N 71.3079°W |
| Key people | Howard Berke, Executive chairman; Rick Hess, CEO; Daniel E. Geffken, EVP and CFO; Daniel P. McGahn, EVP and CMO |
| Products | Photovoltaics |
| Employees | 70 (2008) |
| Website | www.konarka.com |
Konarka Technologies, Inc. is a solar energy company based in Lowell, Massachusetts, founded in 2001 as a spin-off from University of Massachusetts. The company is developing two types of organic solar cells: polymer-fullerene solar cells and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).
Konarka cells are lightweight, flexible photovoltaics that can be printed as film or coated onto surfaces.
The company hopes its manufacturing process, which utilizes organic chemistry, will result in higher energy conversion efficiency at lower cost than traditional silicon fabricated solar cells.[citation needed] Konarka is also researching infrared light activated photovoltaics which would enable night-time power generation.
The company's co-founders include the Nobel laureate Alan J. Heeger. [1] The company is named after Konark Sun Temple in India.
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[edit] Funding
As of 2006, Konarka has received $60 million in funding from venture capital firms including 3i, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, New Enterprise Associates, Good Energies and Chevron Technology Ventures. [2] Konarka has also received nearly $10 million in combined grants from the Pentagon and European governments, and in 2007 was approved for further funding through the Solar America Initiative, a component of the White House's Advanced Energy Initiative. [3] The company raised a further $45 million in private capital financing in October 2007 in a financing round led by Mackenzie Financial Corporation. [4]
[edit] Technology
[edit] Dye-Sensitized solar cells
Konarka in 2002 was granted licensee rights to dye-sensitized solar cell technology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL).
This solar-cell design includes two main components: a special light-sensitive dye that releases electrons when exposed to sunlight and titanium dioxide nanoparticles which escort electrons away from the dyes and to an external electronic circuit, generating electricity [5]
[edit] Polymer-fullerene solar cells
Konarka builds photovoltaic products using next generation nanomaterials that are coated on rolls of plastic (Power Plastic). Konarka's nanomaterials absorb sunlight and indoor light and convert them into electrical energy. These products can be easily integrated as the power generation component for a variety of applications and can be produced and used virtually anywhere. Konarka is one of several companies developing nanotechnology-based solar cells, others include Nanosolar and Nanosys. [6]
These materials, as well as positive and negative electrodes made from metallic inks, can be inexpensively spread over a sheet of plastic using printing and coating machines to make solar cells, using roll-to-roll manufacturing, similar to how newspaper is printed on large rolls of paper. Konarka’s manufacturing process enables production to scale easily and results in significantly reduced costs over previous generations of solar cells. .[7] Richard Hess, Konarka's president and CEO, says that the company's ability to use existing equipment allows it to scale up production at one-tenth the cost compared with conventional technologies.[8]
Unlike conventional solar cells, which are packaged in modules made of glass and aluminum and are rigid and heavy, Konarka's solar cells are lightweight and flexible. This makes them attractive for portable applications. What's more, they can be designed in a range of colors, which can make them easier to incorporate attractively into certain applications. One of the first products to use Konarka's cells will be briefcases that can recharge laptops. Another company is testing Konarka's solar cells for use in umbrellas for outdoor tables at restaurants. They could also be used in tents and awnings.[8]
Because the solar cells can be made transparent, Konarka is also developing a version of its solar cells that could be laminated to windows to generate electricity and serve as a window tinting.[9]
However, the technology has several drawbacks. The solar cells only last a couple of years, unlike the decades that conventional solar cells last and the solar cells are relatively inefficient. Conventional solar cells can easily convert 15 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity; Konarka's cells only convert up to 8.3%, the highest that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has recorded for organic photovoltaic cells.[10]
[edit] Flexible batteries
Konarka owns the rights to an organic-based solar-recharging flexible battery technology.[11] However, as of April 2007, Konarka had no plans to produce these commercially itself.[11]
Flexible batteries have thin-solar cells which are held inside a flexible gas barrier to prevent them from degrading when exposed to air. At just two grams in weight and just one millimetre thick, the flexible battery is small enough to be used in low-wattage gadgets - including flat smart cards and mobile phones. The potential for this type of product is large, given that there is a growing demand for portable self-rechargeable power supplies.[12]
[edit] Production
[edit] Dye-sensitized solar cells
Konarka Technologies and Renewable Capital announced the licensing and joint development of Konarka's dye-sensitized solar cell technology for large-scale production, scaling to several hundred megawatts .[13]
[edit] Polymer-fullerene solar cells
Konarka has opened a commercial-scale factory, with the capacity to produce enough polymer-fullerene solar cells every year to generate one gigawatt of electricity, the equivalent of a large nuclear reactor.The company plans to gradually ramp up production at its new factory, reaching full capacity in two to three years.[8]
[edit] Competitors
[edit] Organic solar cell makers
- Dyesol in Queanbeyan NSW, Australia [14] and G24 Innovations in Wentloog, Cardiff.[15]
- Heliatek in Dresden, Germany.[16]
- Solarmer Energy, Inc. in California, USA.[17]
- Innovalight.[18]
[edit] Patents
Konarka has been issued a number of United States patents relating to its photovoltaics research:
- 6706963, Jan 25, 2002, "Photovoltaic cell interconnection"
- 6858158, Jan 24, 2003, "Low temperature interconnection of nanoparticles"
- 6900382, Jan 24, 2003, "Gel electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cells"
- 6913713, Jan 24, 2003, "Photovoltaic fibers"
- 6924427, Jan 24, 2003, "Wire interconnects for fabricating interconnected photovoltaic cells
- 6933436, Apr 27, 2001, "Photovoltaic cell"
- 6949400, Jan 24, 2003, "Ultrasonic slitting of photovoltaic cells and modules"
- 7022910, Mar 24, 2003, "Photovoltaic cells utilizing mesh electrodes"
- 7071139, Dec 20, 2002, "Oxynitride compounds, methods of preparation, and uses thereof"
- 7186911, Jan 24, 2003, "Methods of scoring for fabricating interconnected photovoltaic cells"
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Konarka founding scientists. Konarka website.
- ^ "Konarka Raises $20 Million in Venture Capital Financing Led by 3i" (Press release). Konarka Technologies, Inc.. 2006-02-14. http://www.konarka.com/news_and_events/press_releases/2006/2_february/0214_3i.php. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- ^ "Solar Technology Gets White House Boost". The Boston Herald. 2007-03-08. http://business.bostonherald.com/technologyNews/view.bg?articleid=187251. Retrieved 2007-03-08.[dead link]
- ^ "Konarka Secures $45 Million in Private Capital Financing" (Press release). Konarka Technologies, Inc.. 2007-10-01. http://www.konarka.com/news_and_events/press_releases/2007/10_october/1001_45_million.php. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
- ^ "Konarka: Giant Leap With Nano-based Solar Power". 2006-07-11. http://www.indolink.com/SciTech/fr071104-101529.php. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
- ^ Carlstrom, Paul (2005-07-11). "As solar gets smaller, its future gets brighter: Nanotechnology could turn rooftops into a sea of power-generating stations". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/11/BUG7IDL1AF1.DTL. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ Konarka website.
- ^ a b c http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/21574/?nlid=1435
- ^ http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/21574/page2/
- ^ http://www.konarka.com/index.php/company/our-history/
- ^ a b Technology Review magazine: "Flexible Batteries that Never Need to be Recharged" April 4, 2007.
- ^ http://www.itpro.co.uk/109555/eu-researchers-make-flexible-solar-battery , in the Solar Energy Journal
- ^ http://www.konarka.com/index.php/site/press/renewable_capital_to_license_konarkas_dye_sensitized_solar_cell_technology
- ^ http://www.dyesol.com
- ^ http://www.g24i.com
- ^ http://www.heliatek.com
- ^ http://www.Solarmer.com
- ^ http://www.innovalight.com
[edit] External links
- Official website of Konarka Technologies, Inc.
- Business data
- Konarka Technologies, Inc. at Google Finance
- Konarka Technologies, Inc. at Yahoo! Finance
- Konarka Technologies, Inc. at Hoover's
