UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 39, Page 1
August 20, 1992
Department of Energy recognizes IEC excellence
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has designated the University
of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) as one of only two
centers of excellence in photovoltaic research and education in the
nation. This designation will stabilize funding for IEC at a total of
about $5 million over the next four years.
J. Michael Davis, assistant secretary of conservation and
renewable energy at DOE, announced the designation at a ceremony Aug.
12 at the Institute of Energy Conversion on Wyoming Road.
Photovoltaic research, or research on the conversion of sunlight
to electricity, is the focus of the Institute of Energy Conversion, a
leading research facility in that field since 1972.
"Reducing the cost of solar and other forms of renewable energy
to make them competitive in the marketplace is a key goal of President
Bush's National Energy Strategy," Davis said. "As one of the first
laboratories in the U.S. to initiate a thin-film photovoltaic research
effort, the Institute of Energy Conversion at Delaware has a prominent
track record in PV research for over 20 years and is an outstanding
choice for this new initiative."
Calling the institute "an excellent facility," Davis said, "It
allows young minds and business people to come in and see work, do
work and benefit from work, and it creates the basis for people being
willing to dedicate their intellectual capital to careers in this kind
of science and technology."
University President David P. Roselle called the designation
"well deserved" and noted that it "recognizes two decades of
achievement by the institute."
Roselle said, "The Institute of Energy Conversion is a national
leader in thin-film photovoltaic research and has contributed
significantly to the realization of the potential of electric power
generation by thin-film solar modules."
At the ceremony, he noted that in 1980 the institute was the
first to produce a a thin film cell of copper sulfide/zinc cadmium
sulfide with an energy efficiency of 10 percent and it was "the only
university laboratory to have achieved greater than 10 percent
efficiencies with three other thin film materials."
Duane N. Sunderman, director of the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, described the "dimensions of excellence" that have
characterized the work of the Institute of Energy Conversion. These
dimensions include being at the cutting edge of technologies;
attracting and training outstanding scientists; "perseverance and
diligence during periods of difficult funding"; and national
recognition.
"I understand that you can't go in a photovoltaic organization
throughout the United States without encountering someone who is an
alumnus of this organization," Sunderman noted.
He also praised the leadership of the institute's current
director, T.W. Fraser Russell, who is also Allan P. Colburn Professor
of Chemical Engineering at the University, hailing his "dedication to
excellence and his voice of wisdom in the management of the
institute."
In his remarks, Russell said, "I can assure you that the
four-year period of stable funding that accompanies this honor will
allow us to make our contribution to photovoltaics research and
education even more effective.
"Effective photovoltaic research requires a multidisciplinary
effort involving physicists, material scientists, chemists, electrical
and chemical engineers. IEC's accomplishments have been achieved
because we have a dedicated staff who work hard at integrating these
disciplines both in our laboratory and with the various University
departments," he said.
He noted that the institute's educational accomplishments include
more than 70 graduate degrees in photovoltaic-related research and
more than 50 professionals in the growing photovoltaic industry who
received all or part of their photovoltaic education in the IEC
laboratories.
At the ceremony, Russell shared a letter from U.S. Rep. Thomas
Carper, who was unable to attend. The letter read, in part, "During my
years in Congress, we have struggled mightily to ensure federal
recognition of the superb work of the institute, while at the same
time pressing hard to maintain adequate funding for photovoltaic
research and development activities nationwide....As Congress
continues to grapple with the problems of global warming, air
pollution and energy security, the efforts of the Institute of Energy
Conversion provide the model of innovative energy research and
development that will help us overcome these challenges."
University Provost R. Byron Pipes concluded the ceremony by
citing two special interactions that the institute maintains with
other campus departments.
In order to lower manufacturing costs for photovoltaic power
generation, Pipes noted that the institute established close ties to
the Department of Chemical Engineering. "This gives us a chance to
focus our research on the important process activities associated with
manufacturing and design of these operational scale commercial
facilities," Pipes said.
"We also know that it is an obligation of the University to
educate the public about its research programs, and in no field is
this more important than in photovoltaics. The institute has worked
very closely with our Center for Energy and Urban Policy Research in
the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy," he said. A current
project involves the institute, the center, AstroPower and Delmarva
Power & Light in research to show how photovoltaic panels can be used
to aid in demand-side management of electric power.
"These experiments are funded by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory's new photovoltaic building program and if successful
should open a large market for photovoltaics in the future," Pipes
said.
On hand for the ceremony Aug. 12 were institute staff members
and government and industry representatives, as well as two past
directors of the institute: Karl W. Boer, who led the institute from
1972-75 and Allen M. Barnett, who directed it from 1976-79.
Guests at the ceremony were able to see solar energy in action at
displays that used the sun to pump water, to play music and
refrigerate drinks. Displays included panels from firms developing
commercial products using semiconductor materials that have been part
of IEC's research. Companies represented were Siemens Solar
Industries, Photon Energy, Solarex, Advanced Photovoltaic Systems,
Mobil Solar Energy Corp. and AstroPower.
The Institute of Energy Conversion was one of the first
laboratories in the United States to initiate a thin-film photovoltaic
research effort. Its 40,000-square-foot lab contains about $2 million
worth of equipment dedicated exclusively to research and development
of thin-film solar cells.
With more than $21 million in funds from DOE and $5 million from
industry, the multidisciplinary institute has established a stable,
effective, integrated research program that has made major
contributions to the photovoltaic research and development community.
These accomplishments include:
* production of the first thin-film solar cell with an efficiency
rating of 10 percent;
* establishment of a reproducible and controllable system for
manufacturing thin-film solar cells;
* over 25 patents dealing with new semiconductor materials, novel
devices and unique semiconductor reactor designs; and
* a nationwide survey, conducted with the University of Delaware
Center for Energy and Urban Policy Research, on attitudes
towards photovoltaics in the electric utility industry, which
has proved useful in developing positive utility response to
photovoltaic power generation.
Over its two decades, the institute has worked with 35 companies
in this country, seven international companies, more than 30 U.S.
universities and 14 foreign universities.
The Georgia Institute of Technology also has been designated a
center for photovoltaic research and education.