Textured Solar Array

This Phase I program will demonstrate an innovative, module-level encapsulation technology that will lower the cost by at least 50% and enhance the performance of space-grade solar arrays. Conventional solar cells for space use specialized coverglass that provides essential environmental protection from high-energy particle and ultraviolet solar radiation but is expensive to apply and has high fragility. Next-generation coverglass replacement materials have been explored by several groups over the past decade. Pseudomorphic glass (PMG) uses glass microbeads embeded in a silicone matrix that can be formed into sheets or sprayed on interconnected modules. Pure silicone sheets using space-grade DC 93-500 have also been investigated for module-level protection. Both approaches have the additional benefit of high flexibility that is synergistic with thin-film, inverted metamorphic multi-junction (IMM) solar cells manufactured by MicroLink Devices, enabling a pathway to truly flexible solar modules. The central innovation in this proposal is to introduce a novel, prismatic texturing method that will improve the performance and manufacturability of silicone-based encapsulations including PMG. Texturing of glass encapsulants has previously been explored for enhancing high-angle light capture for terrestrial solar arrays, but prismatic structuring of space coverglass has not been widely investigated. Polymer materials are much more readily formed into prismatic shapes, which presents a new opportunity to introduce this important technique. In this Phase I program MicroLink will demonstrate that prismatic structures not only increase the high-angle collection efficiency of space solar cells by up to 30%, but also reduce the operating temperature by as much as 3 degrees. Equally important, the surface texturing is expected to substantially simplify the design and robustness of essential UV protective coating layers deposited over the encapsulation.

Spacecraft and Planetary Missions – The proposed textured modules may provide an enabling technology for large-scale SEP (solar electric propulsion) spacecraft and enable high specific power solar arrays for a variety of NASA science missions. Satellites – The IMM solar modules are low mass, flexible, and power dense and as such they will be beneficial for large-scale deployment of constellation satellites and cubesats.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – High-altitude long-endurance (HALE) solar UAVs such as the Airbus Zephyr, which have variable sun incident angles depending on time of day/year and latitude. Commercial Satellites – Flexible “roll-out” arrays, LEO constellation satellites that require low cost and use body-mounted solar panels. Textured sheets can be applied to all solar cell technologies.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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