Solar ♦ news digest
Emcore has announced that its solar panels were successfully launched on November 26, 2011 onboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft.
The panels, delivered earlier this year under contract with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Centre in Pasadena, CA, will power the MS) spacecraft during its cruise stage to Mars. The spacecraft is designed to carry the MSL rover “Curiosity” and communicate with the entry vehicle that will carry the rover to the surface of the planet. The solar panels for this mission were designed and manufactured exclusively by Emcore’s Photovoltaic Division, located in Albuquerque, NM.
“We are very proud to contribute to NASA’s latest mission to Mars and are committed to supporting NASA with other future missions,” said Christopher Larocca, Chief Operating Officer for Emcore.
“Emcore has previously delivered, or is in the process of delivering, solar panels for several other NASA missions including the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) to the International Space Station, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and the Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) missions,” he continued.
Emcore is a manufacturer of highly-efficient radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications. The firm’s multi-junction solar cells provide power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.
Magnolia Solar flying high with $750,000 from US Air Force
The award will fund a two-year program for the firm’s flexible, III-V compound semiconductor multi- junction solar cells.
Magnolia Solar has recently received a $750,000 Phase II award from the United States Air Force Research Laboratory as part of the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.
The award will fund a two-year project to develop
flexible, lightweight, ultra-high efficiency multi- junction solar cells for space power applications. This award follows a Phase I program that demonstrated that Magnolia’s approach to simultaneously increase the current and voltage output of photovoltaic devices for space power applications. The Phase II award is to optimize the device and apply advanced anti-reflective coatings to build ultra-high efficiency flexible solar power solutions for defense applications.
Magnolia is building a patent portfolio around its proprietary technologies for this award and other work with government funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the National Aeronautical Space Administration.
Recently Magnolia announced demonstration of several significant milestones and this award provides a pathway to support its ultimate goal of developing low-cost, high-efficiency, thin-film solar cells for commercial and defence requirements.
Ashok K. Sood, President and CEO of Magnolia Solar Corporation, stated, “Photovoltaic devices can provide a mobile source of electrical power for a variety of military applications in space and terrestrial environments. Many of these applications can directly benefit from enhancements in the efficiency of the photovoltaic devices. In particular, flexible, lightweight, high-efficiency solar cells are needed to maximise the power-generating capability of space, ground-based, and air-based defense applications.”
“The patent-pending technology developed during this program is expected to have immediate market opportunities for defense applications. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with MicroLink Devices and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute during this Phase II program.”
Roger E. Welser, Magnolia’s Chief Technical Officer, observed, “Current approaches to increase the efficiency of multi-junction structures typically used for space power generation are reaching practical limitations due to fundamental constraints in conventional multi-junction device design. By combining wide and narrow bandgap material within eachp-n junction, quantum-structured solar cells can overcome these constraints and increase the current and the voltage output of each subcell within a multi-junction solar cell.
November/December 2011
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 177
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