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Solyndra was a manufacturer of cylindrical panels of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells based in Fremont, California. Heavily promoted as a leader in the sustainable energy sector for its unusual technology, Solyndra was not able to compete with conventional solar panel manufacturers of crystalline silicon. In 2009, the Obama administration co-signed $535 million loans to Solyndra. The company filed for bankruptcy on September 1, 2011. Solyndra designed, manufactured, and sold solar photovoltaic (PV) systems composed of panels and mounting hardware for large, low-slope commercial rooftops. The panels perform optimally when mounted horizontally and packed closely together, the company claimed, covering significantly more of the typically available roof area and producing more electricity per rooftop on an annual basis than a conventional panel installation. The company's panels were claimed to be unlike any other product ever tried in the industry: they were made of racks of cylindrical tubes (also called tubular solar panels), not traditional flat panels. Solyndra rolled its CIGS thin films into a cylindrical shape and placed 40 of them in each panel. Solyndra designers thought the cylindrical solar panels absorbed energy from any direction (direct, indirect, and reflected light). Each Solyndra cylinder, one inch in diameter, is made up of two tubes. The company used equipment it had developed to deposit CIGS on the outside of the inner tube, which includes up to 200 CIGS cells. On top of the CIGS material, it added an "optical coupling agent", which concentrates the sunlight that shines through the outer tube. After inserting the inner tube into the outer tube, each cylinder is filled with a silicone oil, then sealed with glass and metal to exclude moisture, which erodes CIGS's performance. The hermetic sealing technology is commonly used in fluorescent lamps. When combined with a white roof, the company claimed that systems that employ the panels on a given rooftop could produce significantly more electricity in a given year.

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Indium selenide: an insight into electronic band structure and surface excitations

Davide Campi

We have investigated the electronic response of single crystals of indium selenide by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and density functional theory. The loss spectrum of indium selenide shows the direct ...

Nature Publishing Group2017

Novel black selective coating for tubular solar absorbers based on a sol-gel method

Jean-Louis Scartezzini, Andreas Schueler, Martin Python, Martin Joly, Yannik Antonetti, Thomas Gascou, Marina Garcia Gonzalez

Multi layered chrome-free black selective surfaces for solar thermal energy conversion were produced by a low-cost sol gel dip-coating method. The optical properties of the Cu-Co-Mn-Si-O based nanocrystalline thin films have been characterized by spectroph ...

Elsevier2013

Encapsulated Low Frequency Vibrating Body Field Effect Resonator

Marion Hermersdorf

Resonators for time and frequency reference applications are essential elements found in most electronic devices surrounding us. The continuous minimization and ubiquitous distribution of such electronic devices and circuits demands for resonators of small ...

EPFL2013

Copper indium gallium selenide solar cell

A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell (or CIGS cell, sometimes CI(G)S or CIS cell) is a thin-film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power. It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper indium gallium selenide solution on glass or plastic backing, along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. Because the material has a high absorption coefficient and strongly absorbs sunlight, a much thinner film is required than of other semiconductor materials.

Crystalline silicon

Crystalline silicon or (c-Si) Is the crystalline forms of silicon, either polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si, consisting of small crystals), or monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si, a continuous crystal). Crystalline silicon is the dominant semiconducting material used in photovoltaic technology for the production of solar cells. These cells are assembled into solar panels as part of a photovoltaic system to generate solar power from sunlight. In electronics, crystalline silicon is typically the monocrystalline form of silicon, and is used for producing microchips.

Photovoltaic system

A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, a solar inverter to convert the output from direct to alternating current, as well as mounting, cabling, and other electrical accessories to set up a working system. It may also use a solar tracking system to improve the system's overall performance and include an integrated battery.

Thin Film Technologies MICRO-565: Fundamentals & processes for photovoltaic devices

Explores thin film technologies for photovoltaic devices, including CdTe, CIGS, and III-V solar cells, discussing their advantages, drawbacks, and market status.

Thin Film Technologies MICRO-565: Fundamentals & processes for photovoltaic devices

Covers the fundamentals and processes for photovoltaic devices, focusing on thin film technologies and their advantages over wafers, including high efficiency and reduced material use.

Thin Films and Tandem Solar Cells MICRO-565: Fundamentals & processes for photovoltaic devices

Covers thin film solar cells, their advantages, market status, and challenges, including CdTe, CIGS, and perovskite cells, and explores the potential of multijunction cells.