Project Grant DESC0017851

This $185,304 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Directorate (CFDA 47.041) supports research by St. Mary's College of Maryland to develop low-cost, printable metal contacts to enable the fabrication of fully printed, all-inorganic cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) devices. The project aims to identify printable anode and cathode metals to achieve high-efficiency printed solar cells at a fraction of the cost of conventional PV. Key activities...

This $5,197,154 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (CFDA 81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development) to First Solar, Inc. aims to demonstrate a high-performing 4-terminal perovskite/CIGS tandem solar module with at least 27% efficiency. The project involves collaboration between First Solar's internal R&D sites and two leading academic partners. Key objectives include passing durability testing, achieving at...

Arizona State University was awarded a $196,836 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering (CFDA 47.041) program to conduct fundamental research elucidating how light-induced excitation controls the mechanical behavior of photovoltaic semiconductors. Under this May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023 award, the University will use multiscale modeling and experimental techniques to characterize the influence of photoinduced electron-hole excitation on deformation mechanisms like...

This $3,000,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Program (CFDA 47.041) supports research to develop a novel lamination approach for halide perovskite semiconductors that enables new device architectures and material combinations for applications like solar cells, LEDs, and other optoelectronic devices. The research aims to understand, model, and control the process-structure-property relationships during halide perovskite semiconductor manufacturing...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems awarded a $105,194 EAGER (EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research) grant to the University of Pittsburgh to develop a novel semiconductor-metal-semiconductor (S-M-S) multilayer film as an interconnect for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. The project aims to design an interconnect with high electrical conductivity and optical transparency to enhance the performance of these tandem solar...

This $274,999 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) supports the development of strain-relief interconnection and encapsulation technologies for perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic (PV) modules at Beyond Silicon Inc., a for-profit solar technology company based in Chandler, Arizona. The project aims to increase the competitiveness of U.S. PV manufacturing by advancing perovskite/silicon tandem PV...

This $1,000,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports an interdisciplinary research project to study the chemical and mechanical interactions in halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to enable the recovery, reuse, and recycling of the device components. The primary objective is to develop recyclable PSCs with minimal environmental impact and low production costs. The project team, led by the Georgia TECH Research Corp, will...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $467,060.00 to the University of Wisconsin System to conduct research on intersubband photovoltaics for infrared energy conversion. The key goals of this 3-year project are to: (1) determine the influences of bias and illumination on band structure and carrier transport, and identify design strategies to achieve high carrier collection under forward bias; and (2) identify nanophotonic...

This Cooperative Agreement award by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) provides $1,000,000 in funding to Superclean Glass Inc. for a 2-year project period from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026. The project aims to develop an electrostatic self-cleaning technology to increase the energy yield from dusty solar panels, particularly in desert regions. The research efforts will include experiments and modeling to...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science awarded a $199,684 Project Grant to Atonometrics, Inc. in Austin, TX under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049). The grant, titled "FAULT FINDER: SENSOR THAT LOCATES ELECTRICAL FAULTS IN PV STRINGS", will fund the development of a sensor system to locate electrical faults within photovoltaic (PV) string arrays. The project has a period of performance from July 22, 2024 to July 21, 2025. The Office of...