The performance of the test modules will be continuously monitored, and the performance in Colorado will be compared with testing Plextronics is already doing in Pittsburgh on identical modules. The performance of the modules will also be compared with the performance of other solar modules that are being tested at the NREL facility. The data over the next few months will be used to improve outdoor stability of the company’s OPV technology and pave the way for testing more modules and refinement of the method.
The module deployment at NREL is important to building an outdoor performance database for Plextronics’ products. According to Andy Hannah, Plextronics’ CEO, “Our customers want to understand the real-world performance of our solar technology, and this testing with NREL will allow us to provide them that data,” he said. “To be the first company to work with NREL to test the outdoor performance of organic solar – one of our specialties – is a great step toward the commercialization of organic technology generally. We’re very excited about the program and everything we stand to learn from it.”
NREL Senior Project Leader Dr. Bolko von Roedern said “the achievements that Plextronics’ have made in working on the Incubator program has allowed us to take this next step with outdoor testing,” he said. “I expect this kind of testing will be able to help move OPV technology generally closer to commercialization.”
