Jan. 17, 2013: Potential Grid Parity Solar Cell Is Developed
MEDFORD LAKES, N.J. — Global Photonic Energy Corp. (GPEC), developer of an Organic Photovoltaic (OPV™) technology designed to enable low-cost solar power generation, has announced the demonstration of a thin-film solar cell that can potentially provide electricity at grid parity, or the cost of traditionally provided electricity.
Dr. Stephen R. Forrest of the University of Michigan, a research partner of GPEC, said this technology is the result of substantially reduced production costs. It is based on a patent-pending invention that reuses the same gallium arsenide wafer multiple times to produce solar cells. This multiple wafer reuse innovation, compared to conventional technology that typically allows only a very limited number of wafer reuses, is said to have the potential to reduce the cost of a typical gallium arsenide solar cell to below $1 per watt (peak).