BioSolar revealed yesterday that its photovoltaic backsheets are made from cotton and castor bean-based materials. Most solar companies rely on costly petroleum-based film to make the protective covering used in the back of almost all photovoltaic solar cells.

According to Dr. David Lee, the CEO and Chairman of BioSolar, "Until today, this information has remained highly-guarded over the past 18 months as BioSolar established academic and industry credibility. Now that our technology is strongly protected both domestically and abroad, we are able to share this exciting news with the public."

The BioSolar presentation did not include core proprietary or patent-pending elements of the company's work. It did, however, cover the fact that the plant-based components are a composite of cellulosic material derived from cotton, combined with an arcane nylon (nylon 11) derived from castor beans. Dr. Stan Levy, BioSolar's chief technology officer, emphasized that the 18-month product development focused on creating the BioBacksheet from non-food plant materials. Both cotton and castor beans are sustainable, especially in comparison to the petroleum traditionally used in similar applications. The BioBacksheet may prove to be more time-effective, as well as cheaper; manufacturers using materials such as DuPont’s petroleum-based Tedlar protective material have a six-month wait.

"We have demonstrated that functional photovoltaic backsheets can be produced from renewable resources," Levy said.  "We believe that the BioBacksheet is a viable alternative to backsheets currently in use. Not only is this product produced from sustainable and renewable resources, but is expected to be more cost effective than the current backsheets."

The materials used to make the BioBacksheet meet or exceed the standards for the photovoltaic industry, both individually and in combination. Further testing is being completed as part of the process of moving to full production, but the product is very promising so far. BioSolar will offer the BioBacksheet as rolls of film for direct use by c-Si solar cell manufacturers. The company estimates that its product will be approximately half the price of traditional backsheet materials.

The announcement was made at the SPIE Symposium on Solar Applications and Energy in San Diego. BioSolar's other projects include using plant materials to create solar components, such as thin film substrates, superstrates and plastics. Successful implementation of the BioBacksheet and other plant-based materials promises to drop the overall cost of solar cells.

 

BioSolar is a publicly-traded company and has partnered with Parkinson Technologies, Inc, Rowland Technologies, Inc. and SBM Solar, Inc.

 

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Image courtesy of BioSolar