Flying On Solar Power

Solar cells designed by United Solar were tested on the Russian space station Mir in the 1990s

Auburn Hills - May 26, 2003
United Solar Systems Corp based in Auburn Hills Mich has been awarded an $11,503,782 cost plus fixed fee contract for their program designed to advance the state-of-the-art of ultra lightweight, high efficiency, and flexible thin film solar cell technology for the emerging space and airship markets.

The research and development work envisaged in this program aims to accomplish four major objectives.

United Solar will develop five each to demonstrate the success of the technology.

Objectives three and four of the program would be accomplished under options 1 and 2 of the contract respectively.

According to US Department of Defense contract announcements $5,849,000 of the funds has been obligated at this time. Further funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued.

This work will be complete February 2005. Solicitation began November 2002 and negotiations were completed May 2003. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

ENERGY TECH

Sunproofing Solar Cells

Ames - Apr 14, 2003
Iowa -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University's Microelectronics Research Center may have solved a mystery that has plagued the research community for more than 20 years: Why do solar cells degrade in sunlight? Finding the answer to that question is essential to the advancement of solar cell research and the ability to produce lower-cost electricity from sunlight.