Hard cell

News

The US Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded United Solar Ovonic $6.7 million to continue the development of its ultra-lightweight solar cell technology.

The

(ARFL) has awarded

a $6.7 million, 18-month contract to continue the development of its ultra-lightweight solar cell technology for use in space and airship vehicles.

The Advanced Space Power Generation Group in the Space Vehicles Directorate of AFRL will administer the contract.

"Our performance goals for the next generation solar arrays include lighter, more stowable and lower cost than those currently available," said Dr. Donna Senft, Program Manager of the AFRL Advanced Power Generation Program at Kirtland Air Force Base. "We are pleased with the performance of United Solar Ovonic's ultralight, high efficiency solar cell technology and the progress made to date under AFRL contracts to address these goals."

UNI-SOLAR space photovoltaic (PV) products are said to offer an ultralight, low-cost alternative to conventional space PV modules made of crystalline silicon or gallium arsenide.

United Solar Ovonic's triple-junction modules, originally developed for terrestrial applications, are made of amorphous silicon-based thin-film alloys, which are deposited on a 5-mil flexible stainless steel substrate.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address