BioSolar said it has developed a protective backing for solar cells that is made of material derived from cotton and castor beans. Founded in 2006, the Santa Clarita, Calif.-based company had previously said it was working on a bio-based “back sheet” for solar cells, but had kept all the details secret until now.
At a solar conference in San Diego, Calif., BioSolar said the sheet is meant to be an alternative to Tedlar, a petroleum-based film made by DuPont that most silicon-based solar-cell manufacturers use today. BioSolar CEO David Lee claims the bio-sheet is more environmentally sound than Tedlar and also will sell for at least 25 percent less. Back sheets range from 70 cents to $1 per square foot today, Lee said.
The sheet consists of a mixture of cotton and a nylon resin that French chemical company Arkema makes from castor beans. The tough part was figuring out how much cotton and resin to use, and how to combine them. It might sound simple, Lee said, but it’s not. “The processing has to be done in a certain way” to get the two materials to stick together to form a protective barrier, he said.
Wallingford, Conn.-based plastic manufacturer Rowland Technologies has signed a deal to make BioSolar’s BioBacksheet, Lee said.
– from greentechmedia