Being in the solar industry, I'm always interested in new players who enter the market with new and innovative products. So my ears perked up when I read a press release last fall about a new company bringing a transparent solar window to the US market.
With much fanfare, Rainbow Solar Inc. announced on December 10th:
Rainbow Solar Inc. (RSi) announces the world's first, transparent, photovoltaic-glass window which generates 80 to 250 watts of electricity.
This is the next-generation of BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic), an enclosed super-tempered glass window system, with a patent pending, fully integrated, multi-tier PV and heat insulation technology. Up to 9' x 9' size with comprehensive options to meet design, weather, climate, and building code requirements.
So when I saw that the company would be exhibiting at the Go Green Expo in LA this weekend, I made sure to stop by to learn more.
I was actually excited about the possibilies of windows with photovoltaic capabilities and I hope that Building Integrated PV technology makes its way into the mainstream. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with RSi Solar.
As I approached the booth, one of their associates named Alicia had just finished speaking with another expo attendee. So I introduced myself and stated that I was eager to learn more about the product.
Unfortunately, Alicia made it clear from the start that she knew very little about the product, as she was only hired to help out with the expo on a temporary basis. Alright, I can accept that, an upstart company needs help spreading the word and brings in an industry outsider for the weekend.
After failing to answer some basic questions about the tech, she introduced me to another gentleman who apparently works for the company. He stated that the product is currently manufactured "outside the US". With much skepticism, I interpreted this to mean somewhere in southeast Asia, but I couldn't fathom why this type of information would be unavailable.
Next, he showed me a window/panel that consisted of two sheets of glass with pv material in between and electrical cords coming out the back. He stated that this PV module has characteristics that give it a "broad-shouldered production profile". By that he meant that the panel captures more light in the early morning and late afternoon than most panels because it can capture non-direct light well.
Because I am familiar with the general production shapes of most PV materials, and to my understanding this was a characteristic of the newer thin film materials such as CdTe and CIGS, I asked him what the PV material in the panel we were looking at was made of. He confirmed my suspicion, mono-crystalline silicon, aka 1st generation standard PV material, not very high tech.
So I asked him,
Q: "I know that this production characteristic is true of thin films, so what makes this silicon product perform that way?"
A: It is because this panel features RSi's "Enhancement technology".
Q: "Okay, what does that mean".
... Silence...
A: "it just means its an enhanced version of a normal solar panel, I don't really know the details of the technology."
Q: "So what is the current production capacity of this crystalline panel?"
A: "The panel is currently in production and 2009 manufacturing capacity is 20 MW."
Q: "So do you have 20 MW installed or is that by the end of the year."
A: "We expect to take delivery of manufacturing equipment towards the end of the year".
With one final question, I pointed to the panel in the back that was supposed to be RSi's transparent solar window, and I asked, "What is the PV material in that panel" Because I could see that it was clearly not crystalline silicon and was somewhat transparent.
Answer, "I don't know, only my boss knows what that is".
"The boss" was standing next to that panel speaking with other attendees, and I could have waited to speak with him, but at this point I had lost all hope that this was a viable, real company that would be making a tangible splash in the industry.
Now, I completely understand companies being in stealth mode, not talking much about their new product. But if that is what you are doing, why do you make a big press release and exhibit at a show that isn't even solar focused. They were the only solar technology company there, the rest were all installers.
If RSi's target market is builders, they could easily penetrate that market without the need to exhibit at a show.
Another point of skepticism: the idea behind photovoltaic materials is that they should catch as much of the light as possible, otherwise they are being inefficient and the cost will rise. So why would anyone want a solar panel that was made to be transparent, letting beams of light pass through the panel without being converted to electricity which determines the payback period of the panel. I just don't buy that the added functionality of being a window makes this worth it.
My guess is that they have an inefficient, expensive solar technology. Knowing that they could not compete with the cost leaders in rooftop and utility-scale solar, RSi chose to sell into the BIPV market where they could mask some of their added cost by the fact that the material is also a building material.
It takes serious capital to purchase and install manufacturing equipment. I will be surprised and proven wrong if these guys ever hit 100 MW of installed capacity of BIPV making "transparent solar windows".
I wish them the best of luck though. And if I made a list of how to improve RSi's business, I would start with educating my employees about the product.
