JDSU has acquired critical product design, patented intellectual property and other assets from QuantaSol, a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) provider based in the United Kingdom. JDSU will leverage industry-leading multiple quantum well (MQW) technology from QuantaSol for its CPV cell product platform. MQW technology allows more light to be converted to electrical power by raising the efficiency of CPV cells, the most important metric in the solar industry.
JDSU plans to transfer key assets from QuantaSol to the JDSU headquarters in Milpitas, California over the next six months. 'The CPV market is gaining momentum with major installations happening worldwide,' said Alan Lowe, president of the CCOP unit at JDSU. 'Incorporating key QuantaSol technology will allow us to further differentiate our products and expand our position in the CPV solar market as popularity for CPV continues to grow.' According to GreenTech Media, more than 1GW of CPV capability is expected to be installed by 2015 - a 100-fold increase from the 10MW of installed capacity in 2010.
JDSU's CPV cells are optimised to capture different parts of the sun’s spectrum using multiple junctions, resulting in conversion efficiencies that will exceed 40 per cent in the next few years, an ideal range for solar system integrators. The CPV cells are specifically designed to capture concentrated sunlight at 500 to 1,000 times its original power. Additional benefits include a small footprint, improved temperature performance, less use of semiconductor materials, and lower cost per kilowatt compared to other photovoltaic technologies.
