Algae boosts solar panel efficiency by 4%
solar panels, efficiency, photovoltaic, new technology
A Swedish team has launched a pilot facility to mass-produce algae material that can potentially increase the yield of silicon solar module by 4% and the thin film by 36%. Algae is added to the encapsulation on silicon-based units or to the anti-reflective coating on the glass of thin-film units. The team estimates that the resulting modules would be 3,9% cheaper.
Sweden-based start-up Swedish Algae Factory has developed a new material, called Algica, to improve the performance of silicon and thin-film solar panels. As part of the Sunalgae Life project, the team is cultivating single-celled photosynthetic algae called diatoms to extract their shells, which reportedly have unique light-handling properties, including blocking ultraviolet (UV) light.
The shells are then added to the encapsulation of the silicon modules or the anti-reflective coating on the glass of the thin-film modules, which the Swedish team claims could boost their performance by 4% and 36%, respectively. These improvements were "measured in indicative flash tests conducted by external institutions," including Chalmers University of Technology, according to the team's website.
Algae shells should also reduce the degradation of solar panels over time caused by UV radiation. The team estimates that the resulting units will be 3,9% cheaper compared to commercially available panels today.
The Sunalgae Life project required an investment of 4 million euros, partly funded by the European Union. One of her goals is to commercialize the algal material for use in solar panels. The team has now launched a pilot facility in Sweden to mass produce the material. The new facility is expected to grow 500 kg per year and then 1.000 kg per year. Until now, the team was growing 30 kilograms per year in a greenhouse.
"The material produced by the facility will be tested to improve efficiency in solar panels," the project's website states. The team claims that the production process is circular. "The material is produced in an environmentally friendly process where water is purified, valuable nutrients are recycled, carbon dioxide is absorbed and a valuable sustainable organic biomass is also produced."
