Toledo Solar wins $200k federal research grant

The grant will pay for extended testing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with glass-enameled steel backs instead of the existing glass sheet used to encapsulate the panel.

By Jose Davila IV / The Blade
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Toledo's youngest solar company is making big strides in its research and development of lighter solar panels.

Toledo Solar, based in Perrysburg, won a $200,000 Phase I federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Energy earlier this summer. The grant will pay for extended testing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with glass-enameled steel backs instead of the existing glass sheet used to encapsulate the panel.

The glass-enameled steel slated for use will make the panels lighter and rooftop installations quicker, but testing needs to show that the concept panels can produce the same amount of energy and withstand the elements. Down the line, installers and individual customers would hopefully see much lower prices for their rooftop solar installations.

"I'm proud of the fact that the first time we applied for an SBIR we won it, which is not always the case," Mark Hartel, Toledo Solar COO, said. "I've seen a lot of companies try and get SBIRs and not be successful. So, I was very pleased that we were able to get an SBIR in our first swing at the plate."

Toledo Solar started shipping Tier 1 solar panels in June a year after acquiring the assets of Willard & Kelsey Solar Group. At its time of opening the company had 25 employees and $800 million in advance purchase orders for panels. Toledo Solar focuses on building non-utility cadmium telluride, or Cad-Tel, panels for commercial and residential rooftops. The company is the only one in the United States to produce Cad-Tel modules for non-utility use.

The company had been preparing to engage in research around the use of glass-enameled steel when DOE announced the funding opportunity and the company decided to apply for the money, according to principal investigator Ken Kormanyos. Mr. Kormanyos, along with his colleagues, then prepared a budget, a project narrative, and other relevant documents to send to DOE. After answering a handful of questions from federal officials, the study formally started on June 29 and will run through the end of March 2021.

A number of federal government agencies have their own SBIR programs with the Small Business Administration working as the coordinating agency. Overall, the program seeks to help stimulate technological innovation, utilize private business to achieve federal research and development goals, and increase private sector commercialization of federally-developed technologies. DOE releases two Phase I and two Phase II funding opportunities each year.

The Solar Energy Technology Office of DOE funds early-stage research and development on PV modules with an eye towards improving the affordability, performance, and value of solar technologies on the grid, a spokesperson for the office said. Toledo Solar’s research proposal lines up well with those institutional goals.

The idea to use glass-enameled steel to encapsulate, or protect the solar cell from the elements and increase output, the cell is especially interesting to Toledo Solar and government officials because it has the potential to decrease weight and installation costs while still protecting the panels from various weather, which is especially important markets like Toledo. In addition, the steel can be shaped to provide easier mounting on rooftops, instead of using individual mounting clips, said Mr. Kormanyos.

"We have a test sequence of various tests we have to do in order to assemble the test specimens, so some funding will be going into that," Mr. Kormanyos said. "Purchasing the materials and funding the actual technical labor that it's going to take to put the panels together and complete testing on them will also use the funding."

The research will start off with small square foot prototypes before, hopefully, testing larger, extended size panels by the end of the grant, Chief Technology Officer Al Compaan said. Testing will consist of safety tests to make sure the panels hold up in harsh weather conditions over the 25-year warranties the company offers to customers and also performance tests to make sure the new material does not negatively affect the energy output of the panels.

"We are always looking to improve our products," Mr. Compaan said. "Research into glass-enameled steel for the back of our panels gives us an opportunity to improve our product and speed up installations."

The research team is working with an appointed project manager at DOE, including holding monthly progress updates, to help facilitate the grant and research.

In addition, Mr. Kormanyos is in close contact with four suppliers of the glass-enameled steel who will help define the eventual thickness of the steel for use. He said that those companies are excited about the new research because a new product line for Toledo Solar results in a new product line for them.

If the panels turn out to be commercially viable, they will help Toledo Solar to compete with Chinese-made silicon panels that do not work as well in hot climates like the American Southwest.

"Right now, 93% of the solar market is Chinese-made modules. If we have a new product that we can sell to installers that shows, with a Toledo Solar-made product for these rooftop installations, you can reduce your number of crew members or cut your time by a significant amount, it affects their bottom line and makes them more competitive," Mr. Hartel said.

However, the company does have some doubts as to whether the new material will work. Mr. Hartel noted that the introduction of steel, which has different heat expansion properties than glass, could render the panels inoperable in hot conditions. Mr. Kormanyos, on the other hand, is worried about the strength of the panel and is looking to see if it will be able to withstand the elements, especially snow.

If the panels perform well in the Phase I tests, the company will apply for a Phase II SBIR grant from DOE for up to $1.6 million spaced out over two years. Mr. Compaan said that a Phase II grant would help the company to fast-track full-scale production in addition to continuing normal operations. If the product was to become commercially viable, the company would have to retrofit the existing production line once it found the exact materials and measurements, Mr. Hartel said.

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