Paradigm Shift - Photovoltaic Solar Cell Technology

nVizix - Technology, Products, Markets

  • Technology derived from proven detectors widely used in medicine and in accelerator physics research
  • Projected efficiency: 40-55% (theoretical 87%)
  • Partner with OEMs to integrate cells/panels into products
  • Markets include:
    • Consumer electronics,
    • Mobile devices,
    • Wearable electronics home solar panels,
    • Commercial solar panels/farms,
    • Utilities solar farms,
    • Automotive and public transportation

Large and Growing Market + nVizix Advantage ⇒ High Market Share + New Markets

Solar Cell Technology: Current State

  • Silicon PN junction type: max efficiency 20-25% (theoretical 32%)
    • Requires crystalline Silicon, limited by size and cost of Silicon wafers and their processing
  • Thin Film type:
    • Amorphous Silicon: 10%
    • Thin Film CIGS (Copper-Indium-Gallium di-Selenide): 11.4%
    • Thin Film Cadmium Telluride: 12%

Current Technology/Products: Low Efficiency ⇒ Large Area Required

Standard Silicon Solar Cell/Panel

  • Typical Commercial Silicon Example:
    Hebei Zhongming Energy & Technology Co., Ltd.
  • Uninstalled Panel: $1.27 USD/Watt
  • Cell Efficiency: 17% 
  • Panel Efficiency: 14%
  • Individual cells assembled into arrays → Tiling Inefficiency
  • Fundamental price limitations → Price of Silicon, wafering, fabrication
  • "Return On Energy" (ROE) is 4 years → nVizix: ROE is 6 months
  • Installation Area Required Per Watt → > 2x more area than nVizix

Today’s panels: Low Efficiency, High Cost, Large Area, Long Return-On-Energy (ROE)

nVizix Technology – Patent Pending

  • Derived from devices used in medicine, night-vision, and R&D instruments
  • Low cost ultra-thin film emits electrons
  • nVizix invention: Electrons collected for power rather than detection/imaging
  • nVizix invention: High efficiency and high electron harvesting yield
  • Leverages low cost manufacturing developed for flat panel displays
  • nVizix invention solar efficiency: 40% to 55% (theoretical: 87%)

nVizix: High Efficiency, Low Cost, Compact Area, Short Return-On-Energy (ROE)

nVizix – Intrinsic Advantages

  • nVizix microcells respond to a wider range of wavelengths than silicon and other semiconductor-based solar cells
  • In particular, a higher responsivity to infrared contributes to the higher efficiency as well as utility in special environments with limited visible light input
  • nVizix microcells are intrinsically radiation-hard, increasing their lifetime in platforms that are subject to a greater level of radiation (such as in space)
  • A boost in responsivity is realized in nVizix microcells due to local heating (thermionic emission) stimulating additional electrical currents

nVizix microcells have wider spectral response and are radiation hard

nVizix – Performance Metrics

Current technology:

  • Theoretical Silicon single junction efficiency: 32%
  • Practical silicon cell efficiency: max 20-25%
  • Typical low cost thin-film (CIGS, amorphous Si, CdTe) efficiency: 10-12%

nVizix:

  • Theoretical efficiency: 87%
  • Practical efficiency: 40-55%
  • Based on mature technology with proven lifetime > 20 years
  • Radiation hard technology

When area is at a premium, like an existing roof, or the back of an iPad® or iPhone®—Efficiency Rules!

nVizix Technology is Low Cost

  • Materials for the nVizix Microcell: $11-12/m2
    • Compare to crystalline Silicon >$400/m2
  • Time of solar exposure to recoup energy used for nVizix cell manufacture: ~6-8 months (Return On Energy – ROE)
    • Compare to 4+ years ROE for Silicon
  • Tooling for nVizix panels: similar or identical to flat panel display (FPD) factory equipment

nVizix Technology Advantages:

  • Large substrate selection ⇒ lower cost and no area limitation
  • Very high cell fill-factor on panels

nVizix Cells/Panels Use Standard Tooling

nVizix Technology Advantages:

  • Fabrication adapted from existing large flat panel display (FPD) technology ⇒ Standard tooling, integrated fabrication, large volume production
  • nVizix panels are much less complex than FPDs – far fewer steps, simpler process sequence, standard fabrication + N/MEMS tooling

nVizix - The Better Choice

Existing Competition:

  • Crystalline Silicon
    • Expensive
  • CIGS, Amorphous Si, CdTe
    • Low efficiency
    • Short lifetime

nVizix:

  • Higher performance: 2x Efficiency
  • More Power / Less Area
  • Lower costs
  • Greater applicability
  • Proven long life + Radiation hard
  • Efficiency - New applications: Portable power for mobile devices and systems