Prism Solar Technologies, Inc.
180 South Street
Highland, NY 12528
Tel (845) 883-4200
Fax (845) 883-4394
About
Prism Solar Technologies designs and manufactures products that improve the efficiency of solar energy collection. Their mission is to help grow the solar energy industry through partnerships and cooperation, as a manufacturer of products such as holographic film and solar modules, and as a provider of technological and manufacturing expertise.
Prism Solar’s patented Holographic Planar Concentrator™ (HPC) technology incorporates inexpensive holographic films into solar panel construction, enabling them to generate higher yields from less photovoltaic material.
Our solar module designs incorporate HPC technology, 360-degree collection capability, and other advancements to generate the same yield as conventional solar panels but using 50-75% less silicon.
Prism partners with major solar panel manufacturers to dramatically improve panel efficiency, both through licensing of HPC technology and through sharing of technology and manufacturing expertise.
With facilities in Highland, New York and Tucson, Arizona, Prism is uniquely positioned to work in close partnership with manufacturers across the country.
Entering 2009, Prism is rapidly expanding its production capability to fulfill a substantial pro forma order backlog. Despite the difficult economic environment, Prism is extremely well positioned for growth through this year and well into the foreseeable future.
Technology
The Holographic Planar Concentrator™ (HPC) is the key technology in Prism Solar products. The HPC acts as an extremely low-cost concentrator, increasing the energy seen by solar cells by as much as 3X, without mechanical tracking or the need for cooling systems.
HPC consists of holographic imprinted HPC Film, placed in strips along side solar cells. The HPC Film diffracts only wavelengths of sunlight that can be converted to energy by the solar cells. This energy is guided, via total internal reflection in the panel, to the cells.
HPC technology improves solar module efficiency by:
- collecting direct, low angle, diffuse and reflected light
- keeping cells near peak efficiency through low light conditions
- keeping cells near their optimal temperature by allowing unusable wavelengths to pass through
- generating more kilowatt hours while using less silicon.
Modules using HPC Film do not require mechanical tracking systems or cooling systems. Since they collect over 360 degrees they can be mounted on flat or pitched roofs, as screening walls or even in windows.
HPC technology can be incorporated into existing solar module designs to dramatically improve efficiency and reduce cost. Solar panels based on monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, CdTe, CIGS or virtually any photovoltaic cells can benefit from HPC. The technology integrates easily into existing manufacturing, introducing few new processing steps while re-using almost all existing process equipment.
Prism Solar HPC Modules mounted on a rooftop in Tucson, Arizona.
Prism also designs solar modules that maximize the benefits of HPC technology. Prism shares its technological and manufacturing expertise with its partners, helping manufacturers to develop extremely competitive energy solutions in the shortest time possible.