Date: Dec 27, 2012 Author: Lee van der Voo Source:
Frank Cloutier has a favorite quote: “Do it and brag, not the other way around."
So he hasn’t talked much about happenings at Corvallis-based Inspired Light, where he is currently CEO, although he isn’t shy in saying that he hopes it will change the world.
Given his history with disruptive technology, it just might.
Cloutier is considered the father of inkjet printing technology, which was developed under his leadership during his 32-year tenure with computer-maker Hewlett-Packard Co. He’s also been involved with building other multi-million organizations.
Now, at Inspired Light, he is heading a unique effort to ramp up the efficiency of solar technology, at the same time working to drive down the price of a solar system that can rival other forms of energy generation
“If we didn’t think we could get there, frankly, I wouldn’t be doing this,” says Cloutier.
While he says the company, which employs 12, is still a couple years away from putting a solar system on the market, early progress recently lured a $150,000 grant from Oregon BEST —the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center — aimed at helping Inspired Light leap its last few technical hurdles.
Should the company clear those, it plans to produce a solar energy system that can harvest about 50 percent more energy per square foot than conventional systems. Among other innovations in the system, its solar photovoltaic cells are generating energy at rates reaching 30 percent efficiency, compared to the 15-18 percent efficiency typical of conventional photovoltaic, or PV, panels.
Cloutier said Inspired Light is also taking a comprehensive design approach that includes new and novel materials, optical design, and tracking. Its manufacturing processes allow the system to harvest light with simple and low cost materials, then convert it into energy using a very small quantity of PV material.
“Most solar energy research focuses on either low price or high efficiency, but I’ve learned that sometimes you discover breakthroughs when you tackle both of those simultaneously,” Cloutier said. “So we asked, ‘What if we start over with a clean sheet of paper, and come up with something that’s very efficient and very, very inexpensive to produce?’ ”
This led Inspired Light to start by looking at all aspects of the solar energy generation value chain—from price and efficiency to installation, materials and the space the system occupies on a rooftop.
Cloutier said the end result will be a product with versatility in installation and, because of its harvesting efficiency, one that can be used in settings where trees may cover a portion of the roof with shade — in other words, most places.
“Wouldn’t you rather have a tech that is dramatically more efficient so it can be in a much smaller area?” he said. “We think that would be interesting, but also transformative.”
The $150,000 from Oregon BEST is helping the company address several technical hurdles it has to clear before the product will ready for the market, including an anti-reflective (AR) coating capable of reducing the amount of sunlight reflected off the system.
Inspired Light engineers are collaborating with Oregon BEST researchers at the University of Oregon's SuNRISE PV Lab, a signature research facility of Oregon BEST. The AR work is being done by Oregon BEST researcher Chih-hung Chang, an Oregon State University professor of chemical engineering who directs the Oregon Process Innovation Center for Sustainable Solar Cell Manufacturing (OPIC) , another signature research facility of Oregon BEST located in a former HP building outside Corvallis.
“There are a few engineering issues with this technology, but they are definitely solvable,” Chang said. “My task is to develop a durable, highly efficient coating that can be manufactured very economically. This is a very exciting project. If the company is successful, I’m successful, and Oregon also benefits.
Cloutier said Inspired Light intends to remain in Oregon and build slowly. Though he expects its solar system to be a fit for utility, commercial and residential settings, he said the system’s rollout would target commercial applications first.
Tags: Green technology, Renewable energy, Solar energy, Startups, University research
