JDSU Buys QuantaSol IP

Optical networking and test and measurement products provider JDSU announced that it has acquired product design, patented intellectual property and other assets from QuantaSol, a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology provider based in the UK. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

JDSU said it will use QuantaSol's multiple quantum well (MQW) technology for its CPV cell product platform. MQW technology allows more light to be converted to electrical power by raising the efficiency of CPV cells. JDSU plans to transfer QuantaSol's assets to its Milpitas headquarters over the next six months.

"The CPV market is gaining momentum with major installations happening worldwide," said Alan Lowe, president of the CCOP unit at JDSU. "Incorporating key QuantaSol technology will allow us to further differentiate our products and expand our position in the CPV solar market as popularity for CPV continues to grow."

According to GreenTech Media, more than 1 GW of CPV installations are expected by 2015, a hundredfold increase from 10 MW of installations in 2010.

JDSU said its CPV cells are optimized to capture different parts of the sun's spectrum using multiple junctions, resulting in conversion efficiencies that will exceed 40 percent in the next few years, an ideal range for solar system integrators. The CPV cells are specifically designed to capture concentrated sunlight at 500 to 1000 times its original power. Additional benefits include a small footprint, improved temperature performance, less use of semiconductor materials, and lower cost per kilowatt compared with other photovoltaic technologies. Besides its new CPV technology for land installations, JDSU has been providing solar power products to the satellite industry for several decades. It also provides photovoltaic products for the digital monitoring of smart grid power plants.

For more information, visit: www.jdsu.com