Detecting defects at the nanoscale profits solar panel production
Libyan Government-backed researcher Mohamed Elrawemi develops new technologies for defects in thin films, vital in products as printed electronics and solar panels
RESEARCH at the University of Huddersfield will lead to major efficiency gains and cost savings in the manufacture of flexible solar panels. It has also resulted in an exceptional number of scholarly articles co-authored by a Libyan scientist who is completing his doctoral studies as a participant in the EU-backed project.
It is named NanoMend and is funded by the EU’s Framework Seven research programme. The goal is to develop new technologies for the detection, cleaning and repair of micro and nanoscale defects in thin films that are vital in products such as printed electronics and solar panels.
The University of Huddersfield’s EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology is a key collaborator in NanoMend. Its scientists recently earned an award for the development of a Wavelength Scanning Interferometer, which has uses that include the detection of defects in the coating that can have a serious impact on the longevity of roll-to-roll vapour barrier coatings for flexible PV (photovoltaic) cells. When these defects are minimised, the results will include reduced cost and increased reliability of the flexible PV cells, so that this type of renewable energy will be more widely adopted.
The above is an excerpt of Detecting defects at the nanoscale profits solar panel production by University of Huddersfield. Image Credit: University of Huddersfield.
