Project Title: Interconnect Circuit Manufacturing Technology
Funding Opportunity: SunShot Technology to Market (SolarMat 3)
SunShot Subprogram: Technology to Market
Location: San Carlos, CA
Amount Awarded: $2,500,000
Awardee Cost Share: $2,500,000
Project Investigator: Kevin Coakley

CelLink is developing a flexible conductive backplane that will provide module manufacturers with efficiency gains and a reduction in manufacturing cost per watt. Through proprietary fabrication techniques and advanced materials, CelLink's conductive backplanes are much more conductive, larger, lighter, and less expensive than traditional flexible circuits. These attributes are uniquely suited to the needs of rear-contact solar modules and other power electronics applications.

Approach

The primary objective of CelLink's Solarmat award is to demonstrate the implementation of CelLink's patented approach at the pilot manufacturing scale. If successful, the tools will be capable of reducing both hardware costs and soft costs.

Innovation

CelLink’s project is designed to help the crystalline silicone PV industry transition from front-contact to rear-contact cell architecture. Because rear-contact cells may have the potential to reach higher efficiency levels, CelLink will use its proprietary interconnection approach to explore new fabrication techniques that could reduce the levelized cost of energy.