PowerFilm, Inc. is a manufacturer of flexible thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, or

solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

, based in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

and is a provider of solar products for industrial, consumer and military remote power applications. PowerFilm's amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar modules are both built into solar charger products as well as sold to OEM integrators.

Technology

CEO Frank Jeffrey summarizes PowerFilm technology for the podcast interview The Naked Scientists "The principal part of the solar cell itself in our cells is amorphous a silicon, which has an extremely high absorption coefficient so that we can have extremely thin semiconducting material that will still absorb a good portion of light. That thin material, even though if it were thick like a crystalline wafer, it would break, in the same type structure when it’s thin enough becomes flexible and tends to bend rather than break. So, that’s the key part, our basic absorber layer that absorbs the solar energy is only say, 5,000 angstroms thick. So it’s quite thin and flexible and we put it on a thin film plastic substrate that is also flexible and adds mechanical support and strength to the solar component." Materials used in thin film absorb more light than traditional silicon cells and therefore can be made much thinner than crystalline cells (1 vs. 200 micrometres) Season 25 Episode 1 (4/2/15) of ''

How It's Made ''How It's Made'' (''Comment c'est fait'' in French) was a Canadian documentary television series which focuses on how everyday items are being made. It premiered on January 6, 2001 on the Discovery Channel/USA Network in Canada and the Scien ...

'' shows the manufacture of the PowerFilm panels.

History

* In 1983, thin film roll-to-roll solar cell research began at 3M. Research physicists Dr. Frank Jeffrey and Dr. Derrick Grimmer left 3M and founded Iowa Thin Film Technologies which then engaged in a partnership with 3M and Iowa State University. * In 1988, Iowa Thin Film Technologies broke ties from 3M and the company began working in a Department of Energy lab in Ames, Iowa. * The company's first thin-film solar product was created in 1995. * In 1999, the company shipped thousands of solar panels due in large part to the "Y2K" scare. This resulted in the company's first profitable year. * 2005: $3.2M contract announced to develop solar tent structures for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

* 2007: Company goes public on the London stock exchange under the name PowerFilm, Inc. IPO ticker symbol PFLM * 2008: Manufacturing plant expanded by 80,000 sq ft to accommodate additional production capability * 2010: Japan launches

IKAROS IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) experimental spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched on 20 May 2010, aboard an H-IIA rocket, together with the ''Akatsuki'' (V ...

. The

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency The is the Japanese national Aeronautics, air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satell ...

used PowerFilm Inc. photovoltaic thin film in the world’s first

solar sail Solar sails (also known as lightsails, light sails, and photon sails) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigati ...

powered deep space satellite. * 2012: U.S. Army makes $3M PowerFilm foldable solar panel purchase

Products

*OEM thin film solar components *Foldable solar chargers *Rollable solar chargers *Military solar products *USB solar chargers

Awards

*FLEXI Award * Prometheus 2010 Technology Company of the Year * Technology Association of Iowa Clean Tech Company of the Year

References

External links

*{{official website Renewable energy companies of the United States