By Michael Kanellos
A few weeks ago Dow Corning announced that it was starting to sell an silicone-based coating for solar panels. The company has sold a variant of the coating for solar panels on spacecraft for years, but now the price is low enough to sell to standard panel makers. Not only is the material tough, it increases the solar panel efficiency and speeds up manufacturing time.
This week Honeywell (NYSE:HON) announced SOLARC, an anti-reflective coating that lets more light into cells. PV panels lose approximately four percent of their potential power output due to light reflection, says Honeywell.
Expect to see more of these kinds of announcements. Silicon solar manufacturers have spent billions over the past few years raising the efficiency of their solar cells. The gains are getting tougher and money to fund big R&D projects continues to get tighter. Meanwhile, big chemistry sees the green market as another new potential.
I asked Honeywell what was inside SOLARC but they wouldn't say. I advise not mixing it with rum.
