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University of Rochester researchers have been awarded $1.5 million to develop a technology that could reduce the cost of electricity from solar power. The technology would replace the area that needs to be covered with expensive solar panels with less expensive, plastic solar concentrators and fewer solar cells.
The Rochester project is one of 11 solar power projects that are part of the initiatives announced by President Barack Obama last week to drive innovation and accelerate a clean energy economy. The solar power projects aim to lower the cost and improve the performance of solar photovoltaic power systems. The projects are funded by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). In the announcement, ARPA-E stated that they expect these initiatives will spur innovation, ensure grid reliability and help ensure America's low-carbon energy future.
The Rochester team, led by Professor Duncan Moore and Research Engineer Greg Schmidt, will be developing a planar light guide using micro-optics to capture, orient, and concentrate direct sunlight onto a single photovoltaic (PV) cell. Using less expensive plastics,...