BioSolar begins limited supply production of commercial grade BioBacksheet-C

SANTA CLARITA, USA: BioSolar, developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, announced that the R&D phase for the company’s proprietary BioBacksheet-C has been completed.

Now qualified for production, the BioBacksheet-C, designed for traditional silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic solar panels, will be the company’s first product to become available commercially.

“Designed specifically for cost-sensitive, economical PV solar cell modules, we expect the BioBacksheet-C to be instrumental in driving down the cost per watt of solar power,” said Dr. David Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioSolar.

“An initial full production run was recently completed at one of our manufacturing partners and samples will be available for all interested PV module manufacturers shortly.”

BioSolar is working to make solar power “greener” and more affordable by developing natural, non-toxic alternatives to the petroleum-based film in use by most silicon-based solar module manufacturers today.

Its proprietary line of BioBacksheets, made from renewable plant sources rather than petroleum, meets or exceeds the characteristics of various testing and performance standards for the PV industry and are expected to cost significantly less than current petroleum-based films.

“BioBacksheet-C meets or exceeds all industry standard qualifications,” said Dr. Stanley B. Levy, Chief Technology Officer of BioSolar.

“They have been tested and passed some of the most rigorous tests of UL 1703, the Underwriters Laboratories PV certification standard, including the damp heat test, where the module is exposed to 85 degrees C and 85 percent RH for 100 hours and the wet Hipot test, which is a measure of short circuit resistance after the module has been submerged in water.”

“BioBacksheet-C is a two component system that is highly water resistant and contains high dielectric strength material combined with cellulosic film,” added Dr. Lee. “The substrate is a cellulosic material coated with a proprietary material to reduce the water vapor transmission rate and to increase abrasion resistance.”