Currently, the company is entering the initial prototyping phase which will produce a demonstration-sized version of the technology. Once the design is refined, HyperSolar will work with select partners for the remainder of the development phase to build a commercial-grade design and manufacturing process.
Although the company's initial HyperSolar layer will be tailored to the crystalline-silicon market, they also plan to offer designs for thin-film and other solar applications.
One of the biggest challenges HyperSolar faces as they finalize the design for their proof of concept prototype is creating a modular design. It's important that the structure of their "thin and flat" layer be easily manufactured and assembled to fit into current solar manufacturing processes. To meet this challenge, the company recently added a Director of Technology with in-depth knowledge of photonics and optics and extensive experience delivering commercial-ready products.
The durability and cost effectiveness of materials used in HyperSolar's layer are also a critical element in the development of this technology. The company is investigating various polymers and glasses that are both inexpensive and hold up in intense sun for at least 20 years.
The potential market for HyperSolar is enormous. The solar market is doubling every two years - the current solar capacity of 15 GW is anticipated to grow 120 times to more than 1.8 terawatts by 2030. And that's without having yet achieved grid parity.
The implications of grid parity are almost beyond the power of imagination. A world powered by solar will mean a world without petro-dictators, without landscapes despoiled by coal mining, without seas polluted by oil spills or accumulations of spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants.
The slow demise of the fossil fuel-based economy will no doubt bring economic dislocations in the short term, but will ultimately lead to a cleaner, safer world in which the ability to harness the power of the sun will bring increased comfort, convenience and prosperity to people around the globe.
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Tim Young is President and CEO of HyperSolar, Inc.
