New Energy Technologies Inc. has announced that it has entered Phase 2 of an important agreement with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to advance development of its solar window technology geared towards the generation of electricity on glass. Henceforth, NREL and New Energy Technologies plan to enhance the product’s performance, processing and lifetime with additional work orientated towards optimisation of the deposition of coatings on flexible surfaces thereby allowing the generation of electricity on surfaces such as see-through and tinted plastics.
“This second phase of the CRADA emphasizes the Company’s active commitment to develop the SolarWindow™ see-through electricity-generating coatings into commercially valuable building integrated products, with the assistance of world-class research teams at NREL,” said Mr. J. Patrick Thompson, Vice President, Business and Technology Development for New Energy Technologies, Inc. “Naturally, we’re pleased to continue our ongoing research and development relationship with NREL in Golden, Colorado. NREL is one of the world’s most respected and advanced solar-photovoltaic research institutions.”
The terms of the agreement will enable the company’s principal scientist, Dr Scott Hammond, and NREL research scientists, to make use of intellectual property brought into and developed under CRADA in order to pursue specific development goals. These will include improvement of efficiency and transparency, optimisation of electrical power output, optimisation of coatings, development of improved coatings, optimisation of performance on flexible substrates and development of high speed and large area roll-to-roll and sheet-to-sheet coating methods.
“Company and NREL scientists jointly developed this CRADA to maintain focus on SolarWindow™ power production, large area and high speed coating equipment and methods, improving reliability and performance, and commercialization,” added Mr. John A. Conklin, President & CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “As we work towards commercialization, the market potential of deploying a readily-available and affordable see-through glass window capable of generating electricity continues to aggressively drive our product development efforts.”
There are significant commercial opportunities to be gained from the installation of see-through, electricity-generating windows in tall buildings, towers and skyscrapers with nearly five million commercial buildings in the US alone. Additionally there is an increasing demand for ‘green’ buildings, driven largely by rising energy costs, increased electricity consumption, government initiatives and heightened consumer awareness.
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