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Weekly UpdatesPHOTOVOLTAICS IS NOT nearly as high-fallutin' as it sounds. As a concept, it's really pretty simple--the use of solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Given the market for clean, alternative forms of energy, it's no surprise the demand for this technology is on the rise.
Three University of Arkansas graduate students-turned-entrepreneurs intend to satisfy that demand through Silicon Solar Solutions, a Rogers startup and Innovate Arkansas client that got its start in 2008.
Silicon Solar Solutions is developing technology at the UA's Innovation Center that addresses the two limiting factors of current photovoltaic systems: manufacturing costs and conversion efficiencies.
In short, founders Ben Allen, Douglas Wooten and Adam Perkins are making it cheaper and more efficient to use solar energy, and silicon is their material of choice. It's the second-most abundant element in the earth's crust (at 25 percent) behind oxygen and, most importantly in today's political and cultural environment, it's green.
"We believe that in order to have a significant impact on the world's energy and environmental needs, it's vital to develop solar systems using abundant, non-toxic and well-understood materials," Allen said. "Silicon benefits from the understanding that has come through utilization and success in the semiconductor industry over the last 50 years."
SSS licenses its technology to existing solar manufacturers. That technology entails polysilicon with grain sizes 30 times larger than those commonly used. The increased grain size leads to fewer grain boundaries and results in higher conversion efficiency.
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"Our technology alters the crystalline structure of silicon, the primary ingredient in current solar cells," Allen said. "This provides manufacturers with significant cost savings and increasing conversion efficiencies."
He notes that quotes from manufacturers show a potential 36 percent reduction in cost-of-goods sold and a 17 percent increase in conversion efficiency.
Great idea, great technology. But what about getting all that to the marketplace?
"As many in the startup community can attest, taking an idea to market can be a daunting task, to say the least," Allen said.
SSS has taken advantage of its UA roots and relationship with Innovate Arkansas to do just that. The UA Technology Licensing Office helps put campus research on the road to commercialization, and IA assists Arkansas startups in marketing, locating funding sources, and simply, anything they need.
"Without the help from UA and IA, our idea might still be just that, an idea," Allen said. "There are a lot of emerging ideas competing for the hearts and checkbooks of investors. Silicon Solar Solutions benefits from the fact that we're not proposing a radical new cell--we're making current solar cells cheaper and more efficient."
Allen says solar energy represents just one piece of the energy-independence puzzle.
"However, its potential seems limitless," he said. "The sun provides thousands of times more energy every day than the world's annual energy demand. While it's impractical to harvest a large percentage of this energy, it's not unreasonable to imagine a future where solar energy provides a large portion of our energy requirements."
Allen cited the potential of wind, hydro and biomass fuels as alternate energy sources as well.
"It'll take a lot of commitment by policymakers all the way down to the everyday American to work towards energy independence," he said. "Since fossil fuels are finite, it's not a question of if, but when."
SSS is trying to do its part to ensure that commitment has a definite Arkansas footprint.
"Arkansas' startup environment is quickly forming the foundation of a globally recognized hub for green technologies, and it's extremely exciting to be a part of it," Allen said. He cited the efforts of the Green Valley Network, a technology startup incubator based in Fayetteville that along with the university and IA has provided a platform for startups focused on sustainability initiatives such as waste reduction and alternative energies.
"These startups are forming synergies to leverage their knowledge and develop technology solutions and green-collar jobs, making northwest Arkansas the epicenter for the state's, if not the country's, next economic-development center," Allen said.
For more information on SSS, visit www.siliconsolarsolutions.com.
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