NREL PV Working With Industry Newsletter: 4th Quarter 1999 Page: 2 of 12
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Universities Provide the Foundation for
PV Technologies
Sd
LU
Robert Birkmire is the director of the Insti-
tute of Energy Conversion, a DOE Center
of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research
and Education, and a Professor of Physics
and Professor of Materials Science at the
University of Delaware. His current research
efforts are growth and characterization of
thin-film semiconductors for PV and opto-
electronic devices and the relationship of
the growth process to film properties and
device performance. He has authored
more than 90 technical publications
and is inventor on several U.S. patents.
Contact Robert Birkmire at 302-831-6220n developing and commercializing PV technol-
ogies, universities have two important roles:
(1) to help educate and train the workforce
pool required by the emerging PV industry; and
(2) to provide the scientific and engineering
basis required to develop manufacturing facili-
ties and commercial products. In addition to
formally educating and training individuals at
the undergraduate, graduate, post doctoral, and
visiting scholar levels, universities also inform
the general population and government of the
advantages of PV as a renewable technology.
Universities address a broad spectrum of science
and engineering issues-from basic science on
materials and device physics, to exploring and
identifying promising new concepts, and ulti-
mately, to technology transfer for manufacturing.
I have been fortunate to work at the University
of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion
(IEC) for the past 21 years, starting as a junior
scientist and advancing to my present position
as Director. The Institute holds the unique posi-
tion in the university community of having had
active research programs in thin-film photovol-
taics for nearly 28 years. IEC is also one of the
few laboratories in the world working simulta-
neously on thin-film solar cell technologies
based on CuInSe2, CdTe, and Si. One of the
hallmarks of IEC throughout its history is its
ability to forge working alliances with industry,
government laboratories, and other universities
worldwide. Since this issue of NREL PV Working
With Industry focuses on how university-based
research supports and strengthens the U.S. PV
industry, I'll highlight several activities at IEC.
For nearly four years, IEC has been a member of
a consortium sponsored by DARPA (Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency) to develop
vapor-phase manufacturing technologies for PV
using intelligent process control. Led by ITNAn Editorial by Robert Birkmire
Energy Systems, the consortium comprises six
companies and IEC, and was organized so that
IEC provided the technology base for develop-
ing flexible CuInGaSe2 modules. This program
led to the establishment of a new company,
Global Solar Energy, and is an example of how
DOE-sponsored research at universities can be
transferred to industry. The same research
effort has also provided the foundation for an
Advanced Technology Program through the
National Institute of Standards and Technology
to develop the next generation of high-perfor-
mance CuInSe2-based modules, in which IEC
is a university partner, again leveraging DOE-
sponsored research.
IEC research also supports industrial activities
in several other ways. For example, Unisun, a
start-up company, has been developing a new
particle-based technology to deposit CuInSe2-
based materials and has used IEC's well-estab-
lished cell-fabrication and analysis capabilities
to evaluate the CuInSe2 materials. This has
allowed Unisun's R&D efforts to focus on the
CuInSe2 materials development rather than
simultaneously developing the complementary
processes needed for cell fabrication and materials
and device evaluation. We are also collaborating
with BP Solarex by using our CdTe expertise
(developed under our long-standing DOE-
sponsored research program) to evaluate and
improve their CdTe material and devices. In the
area of Si, IEC is working with AstroPower on
next-generation, thin-silicon solar cells and has
established collaborative efforts with NREL
and other university researchers. In addition,
IEC is a strong supporter and active participant
in the Thin Film PV Partnership, in which
NREL, university, and industrial researchers
team to collectively solve problems.
Continued on page 11DOE PV Program ................................................ www.eren.doe.gov/pv
About Photovoltaics - News and Information - About Our Program
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Virtual Lab - Capabilities - Doing Business - Data SharingMillion Solar Roofs ................................www.eren.doe.gov/millionroofs
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PV Silicon Materials Research ..............................www.nrel.gov/silicon
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Moon, S. & Poole, L. NREL PV Working With Industry Newsletter: 4th Quarter 1999, book, March 3, 2000; Golden, Colorado. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc703639/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.