Solestial receives NASA SBIR Ignite contracts for subsequent technology photo voltaic array
by Workers Writers
Tempe AZ (SPX) Nov 08, 2023
Solestial, Inc. has been awarded $849,954 for a Part II Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis (“SBIR”) contract from the Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (“NASA”). The successful proposal titled, “Subsequent Technology Silicon Based mostly Photo voltaic Arrays for Area Stations and Different Everlasting Area Infrastructure,” comes on the heels of a $149,987 Part I contract in January 2023. The contracts are from a brand new pilot program, SBIR Ignite, that funds commercially viable applied sciences from U.S. startups to help analysis and improvement and promote financial progress.
The 18-month SBIR Part II contract will present funds to help improvement of subsequent technology, 50-kilowatt (“kW”) class photo voltaic array wings. Solestial’s silicon photo voltaic blanket know-how will enable for arrays bigger than any ever constructed, whereas additionally sustaining decrease mass and aggressive effectivity. The array will likely be developed in collaboration with Opterus Analysis and Improvement (“Opterus”) who will develop a low-cost, novel deployment system for Solestial’s ultrathin, versatile, silicon photo voltaic blankets.
“The non-public area stations and lunar bases of tomorrow would require an incredible quantity of energy, and at the moment, there aren’t any inexpensive and scalable area photo voltaic applied sciences that may accommodate this demand,” mentioned Stan Herasimenka, Solestial Co-Founder and CEO. “Our inexpensive and low-mass photo voltaic blankets will assist to beat dimension, value, and manufacturing limitations to energy large-scale spacecraft and floor infrastructure. We’re excited to work with Opterus to make this imaginative and prescient a actuality.”
Solestial’s contract-winning proposal focuses on integrating its ultrathin, low mass, radiation-hardened photo voltaic blankets with Opterus’ patent pending Retractable-Rollable Mast Array (“R-ROMA”) superior deployable photo voltaic array construction. The R-ROMA is a extremely scalable tensioned photo voltaic blanket array with double z-folding panels deployed by a single state-of-the-art rollable composite increase. The partnership between Solestial and Opterus will marry the 2 applied sciences to beat the scale, value, and mass limitations of present photo voltaic array applied sciences. In the end, Solestial hopes to attain 50 kW scale and 200 W/kg array-level particular energy whereas concurrently decreasing prices and scaling manufacturing potential.
Solestial’s Part I SBIR Ignite contract made it attainable to develop the essential applied sciences required to create a working prototype of the silicon blanket know-how. The Part II award will fund a full-size 50 kW photo voltaic array design and area testing of a scaled mannequin.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Solestial on this pioneering know-how improvement venture,” mentioned Erik Pranckh, Director of Enterprise Improvement, at Opterus. “Our high-performance deployment methods pair completely with low-mass photo voltaic blankets from Solestial. Collectively, we will develop the highly effective, inexpensive, next-generation photo voltaic arrays wanted to energy improvement in area.”
The Ignite award marks the ninth such contract acquired by Solestial. So far, the agency has acquired almost $4 million in contracts from NASA, the Nationwide Science Basis, and the U.S. Air Power.
Associated Hyperlinks
Opterus R and D
Solestial
All About Photo voltaic Power at SolarDaily.com
