Cleantech
Addressing clean technology challenges that are too complex to solve within a single domain of expertise

PARC & new venture SolFocus, Inc. have collaborated to develop low-cost solar energy systems. Above: lead team members pose in front of a first-generation CPV module installed at PARC.

Cleantech – which refers to renewable, sustainable, and/or environmentally safe technologies – is a rapidly growing industry segment.

Companies, consumers and governments around the world have been responding to these market demands and environmental concerns by considering a range of clean technology options. However, one of the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of cleaner technologies is cost.

PARC Cleantech Innovation Program

PARC researchers are harnessing deep, multidisciplinary competencies to develop novel, cost-effective cleantech solutions that meet concrete industry needs. Some of the problems we're working on include:

• Delivering affordable solar energy — PARC’s low-cost solar concentrator (developed with partner SolFocus, Inc.) integrates the optical, thermal, and electrical aspects of high-efficiency concentrator photovoltaics into a single, flat, solid piece of glass. The result is a smaller solar panel that converts significantly more sunlight into electricity, is durable, safer to operate, and cheaper to manufacture – all of which adds up to solar power that is drastically more affordable and easier to implement than competing technologies. [more about PARC & SolFocus' solar concentrator technology]
   
• Increasing solar-cell efficiency — By using novel printing technologies to pattern the metal traces on conventional silicon solar cells, PARC's approach increases solar cell efficiencies by about 6-8% relative – leading to increased profits for manufacturers and more compact installations for consumers.
   
• Purifying water — By applying PARC expertise in particle manipulation – honed through years of manipulating toner particles for xerographic printers – PARC researchers are developing methods for filtering water. These novel particle filtration approaches use a simple flow-through architecture, giving high-throughput and low operating cost. Current experiments are aimed at scale-up to 100L/min and 1000L/min systems. [more about PARC's particle manipulation technologies]
   
• Managing energy utilization — PARC expertise is being applied to adaptive, distributed control of energy use in data centers, buildings, and vehicles.
   
• Reducing paper use — In collaboration with Xerox researchers, PARC researchers have developed self-erasing, re-usable paper that could be used for temporary or transient documents (such as cover sheets, e-mail printouts, web pages, and reference materials). [more about Xerox & PARC's erasable paper technology]
   
• Developing renewable liquid fuels

The Backstory

PARC's Cleantech Innovation Program began as a grassroots initiative by a small, dedicated group of PARC employees interested in sustainable technologies. After forming a discussion group to understand the critical technology challenges in this area, the group engaged experts and hosted (in collaboration with other local organizations) a special PARC Forum speaker series on "Sustainability" — topics included renewable energy systems, sustainable development in emerging markets, green buildings, and “cradle-to-cradle” approaches. After identifying areas where PARC could best apply its multidisciplinary insights and cross-industry expertise, our researchers initiated specific technology projects that focus on energy, water, and resource conservation.