InGaN Nanowire Solar Cells, Phase I

NASA has very specific requirements when it comes to power generation technology. Solar panels are an obvious solution but making them suitable for the grueling space environment. Panels must withstand intense radiation bombardment and extreme temperature swings while maintaining acceptable levels of efficiency. Additionally because of the exorbitant costs of current technology NASA would like to reduce the costs associated with power generation. We propose to introduce a new class of solar cells that utilize the environmental strengths and absorption properties on InGaN technology. This material has an amazingly high defect tolerance but even more impressively can be tuned to capture any wave length of light in the solar spectrum. Our proposal offers the possibility of solar cell efficiencies exceeding 70% while providing excellent radiation resistance and a price point similar to that of silicon, 100 times cheaper than current space age technology.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.