Project Title: Catalyzing PV Manufacturing in the US with Cogenra Solar’s Next‐Generation Dense Cell Interconnect PV Module Manufacturing Technology
Funding Opportunity: SunShot Technology to Market (SUNPATH 2)
SunShot Subprogram: Technology to Market
Location: Oakland, CA
Amount Awarded: $5,499,551
Awardee Cost Share: $5,499,555
Project Investigator: Ratson Morad

Cogenra Solar will develop and demonstrate a first-of-its-kind 50 megawatt-per-year photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing line based on the company’s innovative Dense Cell Interconnect (DCI) technology, which rewires the PV module by concealing the interconnects between overlapped cells, thereby eliminating busbars, solder joints on the PV cell, and tabbing/stringing in the module assembly process.

Approach

The approach increases module output power by reducing metal shading, eliminating gaps between cells, and decreasing resistance, resulting in a lower module price-per-watt. Higher efficiency also reduces balance of system and installation costs. This project will broaden the technology to mainstream PV applications.

Innovations

DCI eliminates module degradation associated with ribbons and solder joints and significantly increases lifetime power output, which further reduces the levelized cost of energy. Cogenra has already proven these unit operations through an ongoing SolarMat 2 project. The automation to be developed in the project aims to increase labor productivity and throughput while significantly enhancing yield.