Konarka Technologies Inc. (Lowell, MA), a developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) nanomaterials products that convert light to energy, announced that it is developing PV fabric with Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The Photovoltaic Fibers and Textiles Based on Nanotechnology program is expected to yield the first fully integrated, woven PV material. Such material will allow for tighter integration of power generation capabilities into devices, systems and structures beyond what is possible with plastic film.
"Photovoltaic textiles could positively increase the number of applications available to solar technology by extending integration to objects made from fabrics, such as garments, tents or coverings," said Konarka Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Daniel Patrick McGahn. "We'll be able to offer to the marketplace practical new products, such as wearable power generation for mobile electronics made from the solar fabric."
