GE is focusing its research and development efforts on thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology in conjunction with PrimeStar Solar
GE is in the race to develop the most efficient, low-cost solar module on the market. The two companies’ experts will join forces to address each of the challenges required to bring a new product to market.
Danielle Merfeld, GE’s solar R&D leader stated: “After having completed an exhaustive survey of the PV landscape, we determined that thin films were the optimum path for GE. Specifically, the CdTe technology from PrimeStar has great potential. Bringing together world-class materials expertise, unique materials and systems modeling and design capabilities and state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor solar testing facilities, GE researchers are innovating across our four global research centers—literally around the clock—to deliver a breakthrough product to market.”
Work on the GE/PrimeStar product has started at PrimeStar’s headquarters in Arvada. PrimeStar technologists are working closely with GE researchers using over 100 years of combined thin film deposition expertise to research several key areas in order to achieve best-in-class technology. These include device efficiency, reliability, production and installation costs and manufacturability. GE solar technologies use hundreds of technologists in Germany, China, India and the United States to work on the new research project.
The Munich team is utilizing world-class indoor and outdoor solar system test facilities where they study finished module performance to identify and address degradation mechanisms and packaging issues. The team also brings deep expertise at the system level. This way they are able to define system-level optimized features and metrics for the module.
The Chinese team disposes of most of the world’s CdTe raw materials so the researchers at GE’s China Technology Center in Shanghai focus on CdTe materials and the impact they have on device performance. The Shanghai team plans to improve material quality and develop advanced materials characterization techniques.
In India, GE is leveraging extensive modeling capabilities at its John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore. GE considers that a better understanding of the materials and basic physics of the device can lead to dramatic improvements in the device performance and reliability. The task of the Bangalore team is to build comprehensive models to help guide advanced device design.
GE’s research team in Niskayuna, N.Y., is working on all facets of CdTe module development, including material growth, device development and robust process development. They have developed a product derived from GE’s other technology-focused businesses such as Healthcare, Lighting and Batteries.
Presently, GE is a provider for a variety of utility-scale solar solutions, including smart grid power electronics and pre-packaged systems. The GE Brilliance™ solar inverter uses an industry-leading 1.5 megawatt wind turbine offering reliable power conversion technology.
