The Toronto-based solar energy start-up, which has collaborated with the University of Ottawa SUNLab since 2009, was selected for its work on optimizing and accelerating the time to market of its Sun Simba, a pioneering concentrating solar panel.
Based on the companys patent-pending Light-guide Solar Optic (LSO) technology, the Sun Simba promises to be the first cost effective solar panel to leverage the significant efficiency improvements of high-efficiency solar cells. The result is a solar panel that achieves one of the industrys highest reported sunlight to electricity conversions in the most compact, low-cost form to date.
The challenge for Morgan Solar of taking this new technology from the lab to mass production has been significant, but the company has made enormous progress, in large part due to the guidance and validation provided by the uOttawa SUNLab. The partnership, begun in early 2009, has significantly accelerated the time-to-market of Morgan Solars Sun Simba technology. It has also generated significant scientific and engineering knowledge, positioning uOttawa and, more broadly, Ontario at the forefront of the exciting research field of high efficiency solar generation.
As a result of its simple, compact design, the Sun Simba can be manufactured at a fraction of the costs of existing solar panels, while converting sunlight to electricity at market-leading efficiencies (28-31 percent). Sun Simba panels are being tested in labs in Toronto, Ottawa, and Denver.
Morgan Solar is another excellent example of the kind of innovation that has its roots in our academic institutions and is nurtured by industry to grow into a success story with tremendous commercial potential, said Dr. Tom Corr, president and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. It was that spirit of partnership, in this case with the uOttawa SUNlab, which really won the panel over in selecting Morgan Solar for this award.
Nicolas Morgan, VP of Business Development at Morgan Solar added: We set ourselves the ambitious goal of making solar energy competitive with other electrical generation technologies. Winning the Canadian Energy Innovation Award with our partner Karin Hinzer at the uOttawa SUNLab is not only an honor, but also validates our work. It also recognizes the enthusiasm, support, and talent that weve been able to tap into here in Ontario, which has brought us much closer to achieving our goal of bringing to market a game-changing energy technology.
The award was presented jointly by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) and the Association of Power Producers of Ontario (APPrO). A panel of industry experts from the Ontario electricity sector selected Morgan Solar in part because the solar energy technology it is developing holds the promise of being broadly applied in Ontario and around the world.
