Working together with leading domestic solar companies, the and its , the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Toledo have formed the , or US-MAP. This research and development coalition aims to accelerate the domestic commercialization of perovskite technologies.

are an emerging class of materials that can be inexpensively made from abundant elements and engineered to convert light to electricity at high efficiencies 鈥� ideal for solar energy. The universities and National Renewable Energy Laboratory will offer the participating companies access to, and support in, their complementary cleantech fabrication, characterization and testing facilities. In turn, representatives from each of the member companies will form an industry advisory board that will guide the efforts performed at the research institutions.

鈥淯S-MAP harnesses the power of the best perovskite researchers and resources in the nation to help U.S. solar companies continue to innovate and bring this exciting technology to market,鈥� said , UW materials science & engineering and mechanical engineering associate professor and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds technical director. 鈥淚ndeed, UW鈥檚 Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, an open-access facility for developing and testing energy devices and systems, has been working with solar startups and we鈥檙e eager to help other U.S. companies tap into our staff scientists鈥� expertise and utilize our best-in-class instruments, including our multi-stage roll-to-roll printer for flexible electronics.鈥�

US-MAP founding member companies include: , Energy Materials Corporation, First Solar, Hunt Perovskites Technologies, Swift Solar and Tandem PV. As members of the industry advisory board, company representatives will shape R&D directions and priorities and will be engaged actively in selecting and evaluating projects. The founding organizers 鈥� the 天美影视传媒, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Toledo 鈥� will serve on the executive board and oversee delivery of projects.

BlueDot Photonics is a Seattle-based startup building next-generation solar panels and other photonic devices.

鈥淯S-MAP will help startups like ours access critical expertise required to prove manufacturability and product reliability, while maintaining ownership of intellectual property,鈥� said BlueDot Photonics CEO Jared Silvia. 鈥淭his network and its facilities will assist us in de-risking key hurdles to commercialization that will benefit all perovskite-based technologies. This will allow companies like ours to聽shorten the development cycle for products to satisfy聽customers and our investors.鈥�

In addition to solar energy, perovskites have shown tremendous promise in a range of other technologies, including solid-state lighting, advanced radiation detection, dynamic sensing and actuation, photo-catalysis and quantum information science. Early investments by the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Solar Energy Technologies Office and its Office of Science into perovskite research at the founding organizations have enabled the U.S. to engage at the forefront of many of these technology areas and fostered a vibrant community of industrial leaders.

鈥淲ashington state has long been a leader in clean energy innovation and institutions like UW continue to play a critical role in moving our nation鈥檚 vital energy research needs forward,鈥澛爏aid U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-WA, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.聽鈥淚 am encouraged by the work of UW鈥檚 Washington Clean Energy Testbeds and its potential for scaling up clean energy adoption 鈥� and perovskite technologies, in general 鈥� and will continue fighting in the Senate for strengthened investments in these research and technology developments that will help families and communities thrive.鈥�

鈥淯W has played an incredible role in renewable energy and is now bringing together some of the best researchers and innovators in the country to develop this next-generation technology to expand the use of solar to more homes and businesses across the country,鈥� said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA.

鈥淭his coalition represents what America does best: partnership for innovation and societal benefit,鈥� said U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, whose district includes the UW. 鈥淭he United States should and can lead in solar manufacturing, water power and wind energy 鈥� and I know Washington can play a role in getting us there through our outstanding public research institutions like the 天美影视传媒 and our promising startups.鈥�

Researchers and companies looking to access resources, capabilities, and expertise within the US-MAP Consortium should visit .

For more information, contact Suzanne Offen with the UW鈥檚 at soffen@uw.edu.

Three teams led by 天美影视传媒 researchers have received competitive awards totaling more than $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office for projects that will advance research and development in photovoltaic materials, which are an essential component of solar cells and impact the amount of sunlight that is converted into electricity.

The UW teams are led by , a professor of electrical and computer engineering; , a professor of chemical engineering; and , an associate professor of both mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering. All are also researchers with the UW-based , and MacKenzie serves as director of the institute鈥檚 . Dunham and Hillhouse are also members of the UW .

Hillhouse and MacKenzie are leading projects to explore the properties and manufacturing potential of thin-film perovskites. These are printable crystalline compounds that are able to harvest photons at power conversion efficiencies almost equal to silicon-based semiconductors used in today鈥檚 solar cells, but at lower costs. But before perovskites can have a global impact on solar energy, researchers need to improve their stability and develop improved, scalable manufacturing methods.

Hillhouse鈥檚 project, awarded $1.5 million, will focus on understanding how the composition, structure, and environmental exposure of pervoskites can affect their stability and performance. This project will apply new photoluminescence imaging and video methods to combinatorial material libraries, which were fabricated at a facility built by Hillhouse with funding from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. His team will use machine learning methods to extract new information from these extremely large datasets, which could reveal the fundamental connections between nanoscopic and microscopic material features and macroscopic solar cell performance and stability. UW partners in this work are , professor of statistics, and , director of research at the UW鈥檚 eScience Institute and research associate professor of chemical engineering.

MacKenzie鈥檚 project, awarded nearly $200,000, focuses on perovskite manufacturing using roll-to-roll processing techniques. In the solar energy field, roll-to-roll processing involves additively printing and coating ultra-thin solar-cell components 鈥� including thin-film perovskites 鈥� directly onto rolls of flexible material, much like applying paint to a wall or printing out a document. MacKenzie鈥檚 team will analyze the effectiveness of different techniques for depositing perovskite onto the rolls by rapidly analyzing the films as they are being printed. They will use optical probes and photoluminescence techniques to gather data on how well various roll-to-roll-produced perovskites interact with light. They can use this data to change the ways perovskites are deposited in roll-to-roll processing to manufacture higher-quality, flexible solar cells more efficiently, as well as at the production scales needed to make an economic and environmental impact. His team鈥檚 work will make use of the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds near the UW campus, which include world-class roll-to-roll manufacturing facilities supported by the state of Washington and the Washington Research Foundation.

Dunham鈥檚 project, awarded $681,000, will investigate another promising material in photovoltaics research, known by its acronym CIGS 鈥� or copper indium gallium selenide. Like perovskites, CIGS is another strong and efficient absorber of photons from sunlight 鈥� a necessity for any material used in photovoltaic applications. CIGS can also be deposited onto flexible materials for incorporation into thin-film solar cells. Dunham鈥檚 research centers on understanding how variations in CIGS crystalline structure and composition affects how carriers move within the crystal and impact its sunlight-to-energy conversion rate. They plan to use this information to create models for CIGS manufacturing processes and their impact on performance efficiency, which they鈥檒l test and refine in partnership with , a California-based solar energy company.

The awards to UW teams are part of from the Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop new technologies and solutions that both reduce solar electricity costs and support growing employment in the solar field. These include projects to boost the performance and reliability of photovoltaic cells, modules and systems 鈥� as well as to reduce materials and processing costs.

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A new facility for accelerating the clean energy innovation cycle opened in Seattle Feb. 16. The , a research unit at the 天美影视传媒, created the to increase the rate at which breakthrough science and engineering discoveries turn into market-adopted clean energy technologies. The state-of-the-art user facility has labs for manufacturing prototypes, testing devices and integrating systems. CEI unveiled the Testbeds at a celebration with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, cleantech leaders and clean energy researchers.

鈥淭he process of taking a clean energy research discovery and making a prototype, then rigorously testing and refining it for market readiness, requires equipment and expertise that is expensive to acquire, and rarely available when and where you need it,鈥� said CEI director and UW professor . 鈥淎s a result, too many start-ups have great ideas, but fail before fully demonstrating their technology. Amazingly, lack of easy access to facilities and expertise is often a barrier for big companies, too. The Washington Clean Energy Testbeds centralize these resources to help shorten the time between clean energy idea to prototype, while reducing the capital and providing the expertise a company needs to get a viable product in the hands of customers.鈥�

Located in a former sheet metal fabrication facility near UW鈥檚 Seattle campus, the 15,000-square-foot Washington Clean Energy Testbeds provide researchers and cleantech businesses customized training and access to top-quality fabrication, characterization and computational instruments. Specifically, these instruments are for printing, coating and testing the materials and devices needed to achieve ultra-low-cost solar cells and batteries; as well as developing the system integration software and hardware to optimize the performance of devices and systems like vehicles, buildings and the grid. At the Testbeds, users can:

• Print ultra-low-cost, thin-film solar cells and electronic devices using novel electronic inks.
• Fabricate and test new battery systems to dramatically increase performance without compromising safety.
• Develop and test energy management software that controls and optimizes how batteries, vehicles and buildings integrate with a clean energy grid.

The Washington State Legislature provided UW $8 million to plan and design the Testbeds. CEI engaged UW faculty, regional cleantech leaders and national research institutions like the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to create a facility that serves clean energy innovators.

鈥淭he Washington Clean Energy Testbeds are a tremendous resource for Washington鈥檚 and the world鈥檚 visionary clean energy entrepreneurs and researchers,鈥� said Gov. Inslee. 鈥淚 applaud CEI for building a center that will lead to the development of technologies to benefit our economy and environment. Our state鈥檚 commitment to clean energy remains strong.鈥�

For comparison, access to public energy research and testbed facilities often involves a competitive application and approval process.聽The Washington Clean Energy Testbeds鈥� open-access model requires only an initial consultation with Testbed management to ensure project feasibility and safety. Open-access is ideal for researchers and companies that want to rapidly advance their ideas.

鈥淚 wish these Testbeds existed when EnerG2 was developing its advanced carbon materials for energy storage,鈥� said EnerG2 CEO Rick Luebbe. 鈥淭his specialized facility connects clean energy startups to a supportive university, talented people, and the necessary instruments. It鈥檚 unlike anything in the country and offers a smart solution for slashing the time and funding needed to de-risk a technology concept.鈥�

Professor , a seasoned cleantech entrepreneur and global expert in electronic materials and emerging manufacturing methods for energy devices, displays and communication, will lead the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds. MacKenzie has founded and led five startup companies and holds over 110 patents and publications. In addition to leading the Testbeds and teaching at UW, he is currently the chief technical officer of Imprint Energy, a UC Berkeley spinout developing flexible, high-energy batteries based on large-area print manufacturing.

At the Testbeds, MacKenzie manages a staff of trained experts in fabrication and analysis of energy systems and devices. They work on-site to train users and support research and development efforts.

鈥淐EI鈥檚 vision for an open-access clean energy testbed model based at a world-class university with an innovation focus brought me from the Bay Area to Seattle,鈥� said MacKenzie. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to help foster a community of distinguished faculty, bright students, and cleantech businesses that will work together to create solutions for a healthy planet.鈥�

The 鈥淪cale-up & Characterization鈥� portion of the Testbeds offers a platform for prototyping authentic-scale solar and storage devices as well as testing manufacturing processes. The lab includes a 30-ft-long multistage roll-to-roll printer for solar cells, batteries, sensors, optical films and thin-film devices and is the only one of its kind in the United States. The Washington Research Foundation (WRF), an organization that provides grants to support research and scholarship in Washington State, funded this sophisticated instrument and helped recruit MacKenzie and staff to Seattle.

The 鈥淪cale-up & Characterization鈥� lab also includes a controlled humidity and temperature room to enable specialized fabrication under precise atmospheric conditions. The collection of characterization instruments in the lab form a unique roster of capabilities tailored specifically for supporting scaled energy devices and modules. They allow for rigorous testing of new devices using solar simulators, environmental test chambers, battery cyclers, electron microscopes, X-ray spectrometers and other instruments.

WRF Innovation Professor and Kyocera Professor from UW will use the 鈥淪cale-up and Characterization鈥� lab for their work with the Battery500 consortium. Battery500 is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program led by PNNL that aims to develop next-generation lithium batteries that have more than double the “specific energy” found in the batteries that power today’s electric cars. The multi-disciplinary consortium includes leaders from DOE, national labs, universities and industry, all of which are working together to make smaller, lighter and less expensive batteries that manufacturers can adopt.

The 鈥淪ystems Integration鈥� lab at the Testbeds provides an evaluation platform for testing the performance of energy devices and algorithms when integrated into real and simulated system environments. For example, a real-time digital simulator (RTDS) allows for modeling commercial and grid-scale system performance under normal and extreme conditions. System integration experiments using the RTDS can involve new software algorithms that control or optimize power infrastructure. The lab also includes flexible power hardware and battery storage devices up to 40 kW in scale, allowing authentic testing at the scale of an electric vehicle or commercial building. Battery Informatics, Inc., a UW spinout company, is using the Testbeds鈥� systems integration tools to evaluate the performance of their self-learning battery management system.

Another research initiative housed at the 鈥淪ystems Integration鈥� lab includes the Transactive Campus Energy Systems project. This first-of-its-kind regional partnership with UW, PNNL and Washington State University seeks to develop and demonstrate the technologies to cost effectively balance energy use among buildings, campuses and cities. Funding for this project comes from the Washington Department of Commerce鈥檚 Clean Energy Fund and DOE. UW professors and lead this project for UW and Testbeds users can access data researchers are drawing from devices and systems across UW鈥檚 campus.

鈥淭he Washington Clean Energy Testbeds harness the research knowledge and technical expertise of UW faculty and students for the creation of clean energy technologies that are cost-effective and reduce carbon emissions,鈥� said UW President . 鈥淎nd this facility will help train students in the software and hardware that underpins smart manufacturing and smart grid solutions, creating a pipeline of talent for the next generation of clean energy innovations.鈥�

In addition to lab space, the Testbeds offer users meeting and office space where they can work, collaborate, and further build their cleantech community. An entrepreneur-in-residence, currently John Plaza, will hold regular office hours. With more than 20 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Plaza will provide users with insights about the commercialization process, target markets, product development, and fundraising strategies.

In summer 2017, CEI will open its Research Training testbed for students on UW鈥檚 campus. Part of the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds system, this facility provides UW students access to research-quality tools and training in clean energy concepts that cut across academic disciplines. CEI member faculty will host laboratory courses in the space and Testbeds users can access the additional instrumentation when not in use for teaching purposes.

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For more information, contact Suzanne Offen at soffen@uw.edu or 206-685-6410.

Flexible electronics are inherently thin and designed to be bent, rolled, folded or incorporated into new technologies or products in ways that traditional rigid electronics cannot.

, a Washington Research Foundation Professor of Clean Energy who holds appointments in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the UW , joined the UW in September 2015 to create new methods to produce printable and flexible electronics and energy devices for large-scale industrial applications.

“Flexible electronic systems include things like flexible sensor arrays that could detect faults in engines or electric-car battery compartments as well as on-body devices to monitor health and fitness,” said MacKenzie. “Really, there’s no part of the body that’s flat and there’s no part of the body where it’s comfortable to have something rigid attached 鈥� so ultrathin and flexible devices are what we could go after.”

Flexibility and durability are key characteristics that would open up new applications ranging from medical devices to industrial sensors. But developing scalable, cost-effective, sustainable methods to synthesize these devices is a major hurdle preventing large-scale implementation. That is where NextFlex funding and resources can play an important role, MacKenzie said.

Launched earlier this year, NextFlex has received in federal funding through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. From its headquarters in San Jose, California, the center will accept proposals from participating universities to form collaborations with private companies to develop advanced manufacturing processes and integrated systems paralleling the UW team鈥檚 goal of printed flexible electronics. Regardless of each participant’s focus, NextFlex’s goal, according to MacKenzie, is to fund endeavors that are close to real-world application: to bring flexible electronics into real-world applications as soon as possible.

“NextFlex is looking for projects at a high readiness level for manufacturing and industrial applications,” he said. “These are things that have already shown fundamental proof-of-operating concept in the lab. But NextFlex-funded partnerships can deal with how to integrate these concepts into functional systems and to scale them up, and make it feasible and practical for manufacturing.”

MacKenzie helped secure funding for the NextFlex center before joining the UW faculty, when he was with Imprint Energy, a California startup developing flexible high-energy batteries. UW researchers can now team up to apply for NextFlex grants to pursue projects in flexible electronics with local and regional industrial partners.

“I really think the UW could be a node for NextFlex here in the Pacific Northwest,” said MacKenzie. “We have real potential to bring in innovative industrial partners 鈥� for example Boeing, Amazon and Microsoft. I think we can establish a critical mass and become a magnet for this new advanced manufacturing industry.”

As well as making use of NextFlex’s Silicon Valley infrastructure and funding, the UW and its industry partners could combine funds, personnel, time, materials and facilities, including those under development, like the expected to launch at the UW in early 2017.

“We have a great technology base here at the 天美影视传媒 and in the Puget Sound area,” said MacKenzie. “This is an opportunity for us to take on new projects in flexible electronics that can be mass-produced in a sustainable manner. We can really make an impact.”

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For more information, contact MacKenzie at jdmacken@uw.edu.