The U.S. Air Force provides $12.5 million to the UT research team, and First Solar expands

Toledo has rarely become the center of discussions about US economic growth. Now, researchers from the University of Toledo and First Solar have identified a common thread that can be used as a cord across generations-affordable energy, the lifeblood of the modern economy, this situation may change.

Faced with the undeniable fact, despite the convenience provided by fossil fuels, we are now at a point where these energy sources are becoming environmentally and economically unsustainable. Promoting economic development requires cheap, clean, renewable and reliable energy. Therefore, as the global call for energy sounds, the larger Toledo region is responding to this call.

A new starting point First Solar, a leading solar panel company in the country, has recently begun building a new $680 million facility in Lake Township, adding 500 regional jobs. First Solar's third plant in Ohio will double its production capacity nationwide; the panels manufactured by the facility are expected to generate enough electricity (3.3 GW) per year to support 570,000 households.

First Solar’s ​​CEO Mark Widmar explained: “This facility will represent a major leap in photovoltaic manufacturing and become a true factory of the future... Take advantage of our expertise at the intersection of efficiency, energy yield, optimized form factor, and cost competitiveness. Advantageous position, while leading our manufacturing fleet to provide the highest efficiency... and the lowest cost per watt."

There are many types of labor cost solar panels, but First Solar's Series 6 is a utility-scale solar panel with some impressive advancements and technical capabilities. Series 6 has a longer service life (over 40 years), and its carbon footprint is two and a half times lower than its international competitors. In addition to saving environmental and economic costs, human factors cannot be ignored.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently added polysilicon from China to the "List of Commodities Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor." As U.S. Secretary of Labor Mattie Walsh said, “The world and the American people cannot tolerate the existence of goods manufactured under conditions of exploitation... In [the] global supply chain... Unfair recognition."

The ban on polysilicon in China may severely shake the solar industry, and it is clear that First Solar, which uses cadmium telluride (CdTe) as a semiconductor rather than polysilicon, is placed in the main growth position.

Lou Trippel, Director of Product Management at First Solar, said: "The production of polysilicon requires a lot of energy. Cadmium telluride uses less water, has a two and a half times lower carbon footprint, and is a by-product of the mining industry. This allows us (First Solar) to expand market share. In a good position." Considering that President Biden said he will continue to put pressure on unfair labor practices, it is clear that the stakes are high and the world is paying attention.

Not alone. First Solar is not the only well-known company in the region's recent solar boom. Researchers at the University of Toledo are developing ultra-thin solar films for communication satellites, and the US Air Force has taken note. This technology is called "Photovoltaic Panels Based on High Specific Power Energy" (PVS-EH), which uses a series of light-weight flexible layers that can directly collect solar energy from space and convert it for use on the earth.

This research is so promising that the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded a five-year grant of $12.5 million for further research and development. "This $12.5 million award recognizes our own University of Toledo as a national leader in solar cell technology and photovoltaic energy research," said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. "UT's extensive cooperation with industry, government, and academia represents our best side and will help strengthen our region's position as the descendants of solar manufacturing and R&D." Since 2016, recent grants have made PVIC The total amount obtained reached 35 million U.S. dollars.

Dr. Randall Ellingson, Physics Professor and Distinguished Chair of the UT Wright Photovoltaic Innovation and Commercialization Center (PVIC), explained that the sunlight “is 37% stronger... above the atmosphere, and [no] cloud interference, orbital solar cells Panels (photovoltaic panels) provide important opportunities to utilize renewable energy, achieve sustainability goals, and provide strategic power for various rail and airborne technologies."

Solar Sandwich We sat down with the main investigator from UToledo and visited First Solar to learn all the solar facts that need to be known. The PVIC team is manufacturing ultra-thin, flexible and efficient solar panels, about the size of a piece of paper, which can be sent into space and then arranged in orbit into larger solar panels.

Previous solar materials were too heavy to launch into space, so researchers focused on specific ways light and matter interact to create new and efficient designs. The UT team determined which materials absorbed the spectrum of each color most efficiently and redirected it to the material most suitable for absorbing it. Sandwiching these layers together is expected to increase the conversion rate to over 30%.

The durable design and lightweight characteristics of these panels are suitable for harsh conditions such as space or desert environments. This technology has a wide range of applications, from space exploration to launching energy, to the interests of the United States in remote areas.

A single space solar array can generate up to 800 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power up to 100,000 American homes throughout the year. As the private sector's interest in space travel increases and the ease of transporting these panels, the motto "the sun only shines for so many hours a day" will be discarded because the sun always shines in space, which will be a huge challenge. Improved ways to continuously use this power.

The physicists and inventors of Toledo, the genius of the glass city, are laying the foundation for energy independence in the United States, while placing Northwest Ohio at the industrial center that will shape the future. First Solar and the University of Toledo have a long tradition of scientific excellence, from founder Harold McMaster to early contributors such as Norman Nitschke and Alvin Compaan.

Inheriting this legacy are Randall Ellingson, Mike Heben, PVIC managing director and Robert Collins, PVIC chief researcher and scientific director, and joint researchers Jacques Amar, Sanjay Khare, Adam Phillips, Nikolas Podraza, Zhaoning Song, Adam Phillips, Song Zhaoning And Yan Fafa.

Toledo is positioned as a global leader in solar panel manufacturing and the science behind space solar panels. Combining UT's exciting work with First Solar's continued area expansion, Toledo is ready to make a significant contribution to the future of clean energy.

Interested to learn more? Below are the resources used to create this article. First Solar Press Release Ellingson Research Group (utoledo.edu) The Air Force awarded UToledo US$12.5 million to develop space-based solar panels | UToledo News The Tyranny of the Rocket equation Biden aims at forced labor and bans Chinese solar panel materials | TheHill https: //www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ILAB/ILAB20210624 Get rid of the shackles of the rocket equation (14) Can space-based solar energy save the world? | Joe's Answer – YouTube https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2021/10/25/is-first-solar-stock-a-good-pick-in-a-post-pandemic-world/ ? sh=65b3e4bd615 https://community.innoenergy.com/news/326129