High Performance Solar Power for Long Endurance Autonomous Platforms

Wednesday, 17.10.2018, 13:20 - 13:40 o`clock, IASEXPO Forum

Recent advances in solar technology are enabling a multitude of new applications on the ground and in the air. In this presentation, we take a closer look at one of these technologies, thin gallium arsenide, and the recent work done by Alta Devices in this area, reaching record efficiencies of nearly 32% and power-to-weight ratios in excess of 1000 W/kg at the productized level and approaching 3000 W/kg at the cell level. We will also examine the implications of these performance numbers for cases such as low- and high-altitude UAVs, automobiles, and networked devices working in non-standard lighting conditions.