BioSolar Strengthens Analytical Laboratory Capabilities

Company Gears up for Commercial Production of BioBacksheetTM

Wednesday September 2, 2009, 6:05 am EDT

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BioSolar (BSRC), developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic solar cells, is expanding its analytical laboratory capabilities with the addition of testing equipment from machinery and equipment maker Mocon, Inc. for measuring water vapor transmission rate, a critical property of BioSolar’s innovative bio-based backsheets.

“Thin-film solar modules, like those based on cadmium-telluride and CIGS, require backsheets with a water vapor transmission rate of nearly zero, which presented a manufacturing challenge and growth barrier to the solar energy industry. BioSolar has successfully broken through this challenge with a near absolute moisture barrier in the initial pilot run of BioBacksheetTM-A, a bio-based backsheet for the thin-film solar cell market,” BioSolar’s CEO Dr. David Lee.

Currently, the company’s complete line of bio-based backsheets meet or exceed the characteristics of various testing and performance standards for the PV industry and are expected to cost significantly less than petroleum-based backsheets currently in use by the majority of solar module manufacturers today.

“BioSolar also houses an Instron® tester to measure tensile strength and elongation, which provides data expected to be included on product specification sheets,” added Lee. “As we switch into commercial production mode, instruments such as these in our analytical laboratory are critical to ensure quality control.”

This new testing and analytical equipment adds to the company’s suite of other equipment, such as damp heat and temperature cycling testing, and prepare the company for commercial production of BioBacksheets.