Tamura Corp. has developed an improved type of white reflective material for solar panels and LED lights that features around 10% higher reflectivity than its current product.
By better reflecting back the infrared light and the parts of the visible spectrum that are normally lost because they pass through, this material can help solar panels generate more power and make LED lights brighter.
The new reflective material is a type of white liquid made from a mixture of resin and pigments. Tamura found a way to reduce the relative amount of resin without sacrificing strength so that the liquid could contain relatively more light-reflecting white pigment. The new formulation can reflect 90% of infrared and visible light, compared with the 80-85% the firm's current product.
In addition, the new material helps simplify the manufacturing process for solar panels. Its insulating properties eliminate the need for an insulator between the reflective sheets and the circuits for collecting generated power.
Solar panels and LED lights are typically use white reflective sheets to bounce back lost light. Tamura's reflective material is a liquid, so it can be applied using printing and spraying to the glass substrates under solar panels and the substrates of LED lights.
Tamura will ship samples of the new material next month to makers of solar cells and LED lighting. It plans to begin volume production this April, aiming for sales of around 2 billion yen in fiscal 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment