IARPA seeks information regarding innovative approaches to achieve a generational leap in high specific power, highly-durable photovoltaic (PV) systems for application in terrestrial, aerial, and space environments. Greater design flexibility is desired to deploy higher energy-consuming instrumentation on platforms that best match mission requirements, but often designers face tradeoffs due to limited onboard energy conversion. The envisioned cells and systems would enable new freedom to deploy capabilities for long-term missions not possible with today’s technology.
This RFI seeks innovative systems-level approaches and component technologies that contribute towards improving the lifetime energy yield and SP of high-efficiency photovoltaic systems while simultaneously improving reliability and opening-up greater design freedom for mobile system designers to tailor SCs and SC assemblies regardless of application
Responses are of particular interest that discuss options toward an integrated design that can achieve exceptionally high mission life energy yield and SP AND durability/reliability simultaneously, while allowing a significant degree of design flexibility for adaptation of cells or cell assemblies to arbitrary form factors and deployment methods when implemented in the final application. A high degree of modularity is anticipated to be needed to facilitate mass-manufacturing unit cell/assembly components of a potential solution.
Responses are due 20 September 2023.
Documentation
Request for Information: High Specific Power, Durable Solar Photovoltaic Systems
