BP TEAMS WITH CALTECH TO EXPLORE GAME-CHANGING SOLAR.BP and The California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology, at Pasadena, Calif.; originally for men, became coeducational in 1970; founded 1891 as Throop Polytechnic Institute; called Throop College of Technology, 1913–20. have teamed up in a multi-million dollar research program that could open the door to a radical new way of producing solar cells, making the cost of solar electricity more competitive and increasing current efficiency levels. The program was announced at the Photovoltaics Summit 2006 in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . For an initial five year period, BP and Caltech will explore a concept based on growing silicon by creating arrays of nanorods rather than by casting ingots and cutting wafers, which is the current conventional way of producing solar cells. Nanorods are small cylinders of silicon that can be 100 times smaller than a human hair and would be tightly packed in an array like bristles in a brush. A solar cell based on an array of nanorods will be able to efficiently absorb light along the length of the rods by collecting the electricity generated by sunlight more efficiently than a conventional solar cell. The contract has clear links with BP's long term technology strategy and builds on its proven strategy of partnering with some of the world's leading universities on key technology challenges. Caltech is one of many prestigious universities BP is working with globally on key technology projects. The program is also aligned with the launch of BP Alternative Energy in November 2005 -- a new business focused on developing low carbon options for the power industry which also includes the BP Solar BP has been involved in solar power since 1973 and its subsidiary, BP Solar, is now one of the world's largest solar power companies with production facilities in the United States, Spain, India and Australia, employing a workforce of over 2,000 people worldwide. business. Lee Edwards, BP Solar president, commented: "This program represents a significant commitment by BP to the long term potential of solar energy solar energy, any form of energy radiated by the sun, including light, radio waves, and X rays, although the term usually refers to the visible light of the sun. and compliments our existing technology programs with the promise for major breakthroughs in solar technology. Nanorod technology offers enormous promise however, like any new technology, challenges remain to make it commercially viable at scale." The Caltech solar nanorod program will be directed by two prominent scientists at Caltech, Dr. Nate Lewis Nate Lewis (born October 19, 1966 in Moultrie, Georgia) is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for six seasons for the San Diego Chargers and the Chicago Bears. and Dr. Harry Atwater Harry A. Atwater, Jr. is the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at Caltech. His areas of research interest include ferroelectrics, plasmonics, photovoltaics, and semiconductor nanocrystal optoelectronics. . Dr. Lewis is the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry and is an expert in the areas of surface chemistry and photochemistry photochemistry, study of chemical processes that are accompanied by or catalyzed by the emission or absorption of visible light or ultraviolet radiation. A molecule in its ground (unexcited) state can absorb a quantum of light energy, or photon, and go to a . Dr. Atwater is the Howard Hughes Professor and Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science materials science Study of the properties of solid materials and how those properties are determined by the material's composition and structure, both macroscopic and microscopic. and is an expert in electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices. In addition, eight postdoctoral researchers and graduate students will work on the program. Lewis' group will investigate uses of nanotechnology to create designer solar cell materials, from nanorods to nanowires, in order to change the conventional paradigm for solar cell materials. "Nanotechnology can offer new and unique ways to make solar cell materials that are cheaper yet could perform nearly as well as conventional materials," said Dr. Lewis. Atwater's group will investigate approaches to create silicon-based single junction and compound semiconductor multijunction nanorod solar cells, using vapor deposition Vapor deposition Production of a film of material often on a heated surface and in a vacuum. Vapor deposition technology is used in a large variety of applications. synthesis methods that are scaleable to very large areas. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Dr. Atwater, "Using nanorods as the active elements opens up very new approaches to design and low-cost fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. of high performance solar cells." About BP BP's main activities are the exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas; oil refining, marketing, supply and transportation; and manufacturing and marketing of petrochemicals. BP has a growing activity in gas, power and alternative energy businesses. It is the world's second largest oil and gas company producing around three per cent of the oil and gas consumed in the world through operations in 100 countries and more than 96,000 employees. To learn more, visit http://www.bp.com. BP Solar is a key business within BP Alternative Energy and a global company with over 2200 employees focused on harnessing the sun's energy to produce solar electricity. This includes the design, manufacture and marketing of quality solar electric systems for a wide range of applications in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. With over 30 years of experience and installations in over 160 countries, BP Solar is one of the world's largest solar companies and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Spain, India and Australia. To learn more, visit http://www.bpsolar.com or call 202/457- 6603 or 626/395-3631. |
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