Energy Institute

NEWS

University of Delaware Energy Institute Symposium Summary

The University of Delaware Energy Institute Symposium was held on March 17, 2008 at Clayton Hall. The primary purpose of the event was to bring together researchers at UD working in the field of energy, discuss current projects and foster the development of potential new initiatives for the future.

The Symposium was a great success, providing a comprehensive showcase of the University of Delaware's efforts in emerging and advanced energy science and policy through presentations from prominent researchers in the energy-related fields. The Symposium concluded with a lively Roundtable Discussion in which the presenters interacted with the audience on various aspects of energy issues. Posters highlighting research in the energy field were presented by over 30 students from many different UD departments and colleges.

The symposium generated a considerable amount of interest in the UD Energy Institute and its missions. The event was very well attended with over 200 registrations received for this day-long event. The attendees included representatives from the student body, UD researchers, government, and industry.

Invited Speakers and Topics Included:

Agenda
List of Posters Presented
UDaily Article

UD Institute for Energy Conversion receives $3.0 million dollars over 3 years from DOE for advanced solar energy research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of Delaware's Institute for Energy Conversion (IEC) to receive $3 million over the next 3 years for 2 separate solar energy projects. The University of Delaware is one of 9 universities to be awarded these grants and one of only 2 universities to be selected for 2 separate research projects. These projects, with a total DOE investment of $13.7 million, are integral to President Bush's Solar America Initiative which involves making the cost of solar energy competitive with more conventional energy sources. One of the requirements of these grants is a minimum university and industry cost share of 20%.

The 2 IEC projects selected as part of this DOE's University Photovoltaic Process and Product Development Support program are:

1) Development of a Low-Cost Insulated Foil Substrate for CIGS Photovoltaics - to be carried out in collaboration with Dow Corning. Currently, direct formation of flexible Copper Indium Gallium Selenium (CIGS) modules is limited by the lack of an inexpensive substrate capable of withstanding the high processing temperatures required to produce quality films. This project will address this limitation by targeting development of a low-cost stainless steel flexible substrate coated with silicone-based resin dielectric and module processes applicable across a variety of roll-to-roll CIGS manufacturing techniques. The project will target devices based on this substrate with efficiencies greater than 12%. DOE will provide up to $1,478,331 for this approximately $1.85 million project.

2) High-Efficiency Back Contact Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells - to be carried out in collaboration with SunPower Corporation This project will deposit amorphous silicon (a-Si) films on crystalline cells to enhance the electrical properties and enable low-temperature processing. Metal contacts will be moved to the back of the cell to increase the amount of light entering the cell and increase conversion efficiencies beyond 26%. DOE will provide up to $1,494,736 for this approximately $1.9 million project.

Further information on this DOE initiative can be found at www.doe.gov/6071.htm. For more information on IEC's involvement, click www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/mar/solar032408.html. More details on the IEC can be found at www.udel.edu/iec.

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