BioSolar, Inc., developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic solar cells, today announced that the company expects to begin commercial production of its BioBacksheet(TM) over the next few months, and is gearing up for pre-production runs.
The announcement follows recent news reports, including a feature in Solar Daily, that BioSolar has filed a comprehensive patent application ensuring BioSolar full protection on its breakthrough BioBacksheet technology.
“The ability to evaluate and remedy real-time issues encountered during multiple pre-production manufacturing runs will prove invaluable as we gear up for full-scale production,” said Dr. David Lee, BioSolar’s CEO.
Lee explained, “Pre-production pilot runs of BioBacksheets are very narrow, approximately one foot wide, while normal manufacturing runs will be five or six feet wide. Once pilot runs are successful, the next step is to transition to commercial production manufacturing runs. Physical properties of the backsheet from each pre-production run are measured, sample PV modules are produced, and tested before repeating the preproduction run.”
“These tests will provide the feedback necessary to move forward into full production of the BioBacksheet,” said Dr. Stanley Levy, BioSolar’s CTO. "We are extremely pleased with the progress so far, and we look forward to the successful transition into full scale production in the near future.”
In a September report, and the October 10 edition of California Energy Circuit, Beacon Equity Research analyst Victor Sula noted that previous attempts to make solar backsheet with bioplastics failed due to the material’s “low melting temperature and fragile molecular structure.” He noted that BioSolar’s material has “overcome these constraints” with “durability characteristics similar to conventional petroleum-based plastics.”
The recent activity reinforces BioSolar’s position at the forefront of providing advanced bio-based alternatives to the expensive petroleum-based backsheets currently in use, which have been actively sought by manufacturers as a component of solar panels.