why now · additive manufacturing is most directly associated with 3d printing. there is a...

POWER BLOOM SOLAR, INC.CLEAN RENEWABLE POWER FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST™

WHY NOW

Empowerment Sustainability

Power Bloom Solar, Inc.Power Bloom is a State of California Benefit Corp founded in 2017 with the mission of reducing energy poverty. We are a team of scientists, social equity advocates and business executives.

Different by DesignTo achieve a mission as important as ours, we have created a purpose driven entity specifically designed to collaborate with the best performers across an entire value chain. Through the use of open innovation, design thinking, rapid prototyping, partnerships, alliances, and a flat nimble structure we intend to speed a lowest cost, most environmentally friendly energy solution to “those who need it most.”™

Built on Sound Economics and Applying Exponential TechnologiesPower Bloom’s solar energy system is designed for customers who are located in rural settings and are at least five years away from access to electricity through grid expansion.

Our product and our “go to market plan” have been informed by findings from experts working to reduce energy poverty: energy access advocacy nonprofits, major foundations, think tanks, universities, international governing bodies, and the energy policies of specific nations.

By harnessing innovations in nanotechnology, additive manufacturing and mobile uptake, Power Bloom is uniquely positioned to speed access to clean renewable power to remote households. Our success will have worldwide impact by supplying lifesaving and economically empowering electricity, decades sooner than currently projected.

Our Founding Principles guide the decisions, we make every day:

INTRODUCING POWER BLOOM SOLAR, INC.

Social Equity

Our Series of White Papers:• The Need • Fit for Purpose – Organic Solar Cells• Why Now: Enabling / Adjacent Social and Technology Advances• Why Power Bloom

We are frugal optimists, ready to welcome a lot of help.

Amelia Taylor Founder/CEO

© Power Bloom Solar Inc. 2020 1Clean Renewable Electric Power for Those Who Need It Most™: Why Now

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION TIMELINE

WHY NOW Enabling and Adjacent Social and Technology AdvancesOrganic Solar Cells (OSC) are a new generation of photovoltaic technology using organic materials (carbon molecules) to convert light energy into electric energy. The photovoltaic cells are flexible, lightweight, and contain no harmful or rare earth materials. Power Bloom is the only company designing OSCs specifically to address energy poverty by bringing it to market for the most vulnerable populations with no access to electricity.

The 4th Industrial RevolutionSocial media, digital communication, product distribution, the sharing economy, and other web-based services thrive by using a common platform to readily connect millions of customers and suppliers at near zero marginal costs. In contrast to this digital revolution, “The 4th Industrial Revolution”, deploys the characteristics of “exponential innovation”1 to create tangible products.

1784: First Mechanical Loom

First

Water and steam power is used to create mechanical production facilities.

Second

Electricity lets uscreate division of labor and mass production.

Third

IT systems automate production lines further.

FourthThe Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technology automate complex tasks.

1870: First Assembly Line 1969: First Programmable Logic Controller

Today

Dr. Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler identified what they term “exponential technologies”.2 These are technology characteristics that lead to explosive growth in output while costs are continually diminishing. Think of computing power – constant increase in capabilities, yet ongoing reduction in cost. The attributes shared by Exponential Technologies per Diamandis and Kotler:Digitized – Deceptive - Disruptive – Dematerialized – Demonetized – Democratized

The most promising exponential technologies “… unlock new forms of value for manufacturers …”3 Among these exponential technologies are the six listed below – each are fundamental to the development of Organic Solar Cells at scale.

1800 1900 2000

1. Bold, Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kolter, Simon & Shuster © 2015

2. Ibid

3. Exponential Technologies for Manufacturing, Deloitte, Council for Completeness, Singularity University © 2018

FIGURE 1: Industrial Revolution TimelineSource: Exponential Technologies for Manufacturing, page 8, Deloitte, Council for Completeness, Singularity University ©2018


FIGURE 2: Printed Electronics Additive Manufacturing Schematic: Printed on Flexible Substrate

Additive ManufacturingAdditive manufacturing is most directly associated with 3D printing. There is a tremendous advantage in printing parts and prototypes digitally, using only the amount of material needed for the final product. A less commonly known form of additive manufacturing is printed electronics. Again, as in 3D printing, products are produced using only the materials required to create them by placing layers of material one on top of the other (so, additive). In printed electronics however, speed of production is as much an advantage as the reduced materials waste. Inks are sprayed onto the substrates by the digital printer running as fast as a meter per second.4 By producing a series of discrete layers—conductive inks to perform the function of electron transport and organic photovoltaic molecules suspended in ink—this process produces a functional device that is as thin as a piece of paper. (See Figure 8)

The electronic printing industry has entered a period of exponential growth as millions of sensors, monitors, batteries, and antenna are being printed to fulfill the demand from Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices. SmarTech Publishing predicts more than $280 billion will be invested in additive manufacturing over the next ten years. Similarly, according to the recent 2018 Wohlers Report, “the additive manufacturing industry grew 21% from 2016 to 2017 globally, reaching $7.3 billion.” The global flexible printed electronics circuit board market was valued at $12.9 billion in 2018 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% through 2025.5 The global 3D printing market could scale to $97 billion by 2024 with compounding at 65% annually. McKinsey predicts a market of $180 – 490 billion by 2025.

Advanced Materials In addition to the growing catalog of organic molecules being synthesized to optimize power conversion efficiency, improvements in the functionality of conductive inks, encapsulation layer material, and graphene are all part of the advances that are making OSCs more effective. With a significant increase in market driven demand for these advanced materials, production will increase, and costs will decline. Specific to the OSC market, cost of the encapsulant material necessary to protect the active layers from oxygen and water is currently expensive for products expected to last more than five years. There are readily available encapsulant materials with a guaranteed five-year life, but to extend the need to ten years and beyond, there is currently insufficient demand to increase production enough to lower costs.6 By manufacturing OSCs to supply power to those who need it most, Power Bloom will be instrumental partners as our suppliers increase production and improve the lifetimes of encapsulant materials.

4. “Printed Electronics: A Disruptive Manufacturing Platform and an Enabler of Functional Surfaces”, Devin MacKenzie, PhD, University of Washington Clean Energy Institute, https://youtu.be/TYjFzPPMhSM

5. Grand View Research, Printed Electronics Now, © December 2019

6. Discussions with 3M and other material providers, 2018, 2019

https://youtu.be/TYjFzPPMhSM

https://youtu.be/TYjFzPPMhSM


Internet of Things – Networks and SensorsThere are already more than 25 billion IoT devices, sensors and actuators with internet connections performing a variety of functions across the world today. That number is expected to increase to 75 billion by 2025.7 Power Bloom’s business model integrates advances enabled by IoT across all of its key activities. Manufacturing machinery auto-diagnosis, real-time tracking of in-the-field OSCs’ locations and performance along with analysis of our distribution partners’ performance are all made possible because of the low cost to produce IoT devices and connections. As more of the networks allowing objects to interact digitally use cellular as the means of connection, Power Bloom’s customers’ need for household access to electricity will increase.

Digital Design, Simulation and IntegrationIndustrial design is being transformed by the ability to simulate the functional aspects of machine components electronically and then test those designs prior to launch into processes and products. The ability to simulate outcomes can also be used to assess the potential impacts of social development programs prior to their full implementation.

Taken together these six capabilities create the 4th Industrial Revolution also called “Advanced Manufacturing.”

Advanced AnalyticsThe key to successfully producing printed electronics, including printed OSCs, is meeting extremely precise manufacturing parameters. As substrates speed through roll-to-roll printers as fast as a meter per second, each layer of ink creating the OSC is laid down at a thickness of less than 100 nanometers, with each layer having a specific temperature requirement to ensure proper morphology and adhesion at the junction between layers. This precision is dependent on constant feedback of analytical data integrated into the roll-to-roll printer, and a sophisticated series of sensors at every junction.

AI, Machine Learning and Deep LearningThe convergence of Artificial Intelligence with the science behind next generation organic molecules and other key advanced materials has the potential to radically boost the efficiency of research and development for each of the factors of production in the OSC value chain. This not only reduces costs but also will dramatically reduce time to market and overall cycle time: from the lab to manufacturing to distribution. ARK Invest predicts deep learning will be more impactful to our economy than the internet has been, adding $30 trillion to global equity markets over the next 20 years as compared to $10 trillion created by the internet.

7. Exponential Technologies for Manufacturing, Deloitte, Council for Completeness, Singularity University © 2018

Advanced manufacturing “turns traditional manufacturing on its head!”25

– or as we at Power Bloom like to say: “turns the world upside down!”


Complete Industry Value Chain for the Printed Electronics Industry

Sub-Industry Value Chains

Power Bloom is building the complete energy supply chain to speed OSCs to the people who will benefit most, but we are doing it in a very particular way: through Open Innovation, Alliances and Partnerships. Power Bloom’s job is to vet, select, and train trustworthy high-performing partners in the areas shown in Table 14 below.

Power Bloom’s participation highlighted

FIGURE 4: Printed Electronics Industry Value Chain

Flexible Substrate

FLEXIBLE, HYBRID ELECTRONICS (SIMPLIFIED)

Thin Film Battery

Polymer Solar Cell

Communications Interface

Flexible Substrate

Display

Memory

Processor

Antenna

FIGURE 3: An Integrated Organic Semiconductor Module: Printed on Flexible SubstrateSource: FlexTech Alliance

Advanced Manufacturing - Organic Solar CellsEntirely new industries are enabled by advanced manufacturing including printed and hybrid electronics. The United States is lagging far behind Europe in commercialization and far behind China in the publication of new research in the field of organic solar cells.

To create an OSC, the organic molecules are suspended in soluble inks and are printed, along with the other device layers, onto a flexible substrate. To increase the efficiency of the amount of power converted from light energy to electric energy, OSCs can contain more than one photoactive layer, with each layer optimized to absorb a different wavelength of light. The OSC can then be integrated into a module with other devices such as communications interfaces, antenna, and batteries.


8. Starlink launched an additional 60 satellites in November 2019 the second payload of its planned constellation of 30,000 orbiting transmitters to beam internet service across the globe. OneWeb has initial production of 900 satellites planned for launch into low Earth orbit, “to deliver affordable Internet access globally.” Project Kuiper, is a new initiative from Amazon.com to launch a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites that will provide “low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.” Facebook, Boeing and LeoSat have also laid out plans for space-based internet access.

5

10

15

2535

45

55

65

75

85

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

CURRENTELECTRIFICATION

RATE

Mobile is a Catalyst forO�-Grid PV Access

MOBILE MARKET PENETRATION ENERGY ACCESS POTENTIAL

PERC

ENTA

GE

OF

POPU

LATI

ON

(SU

B-SA

HAR

AN A

FRIC

A)

FIGURE 5: Electrification Market Readiness

Enabling Social and Technology Trends for Demand PullAccess to electricity for charging mobile devices is critical to fulfilling the promise of “internet everywhere.” The investments being made to ‘connect everyone’ provides evidence that 5 to 7 billion people will soon be sharing knowledge and insights to create a better world. Power Bloom will be a key link to connectivity by providing Tier 1 household with access to affordable electricity. Investments made to create “The Internet Everywhere” exceeded $17 billion world-wide in 2019 alone.8

Mobile service penetration is a catalyst for low-cost off-grid photovoltaic electricity. There is great potential to accelerate energy access for energy-poor communities by developing a scalable supply chain to produce OSCs. Power Bloom will leverage the benefits of Advanced Manufacturing to bring Tier 1 electricity to the world’s most vulnerable populations, thus speeding access to benefits from the digital revolution.

The impacts of advanced manufacturing and printed electronics for OSC production include:

• Additive Manufacturing uses fewer resources and creates less waste• Advanced Materials including conductive inks and organic semiconductors• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning to design photovoltaic organic

molecules and electron transport layers• Digital Process Management to regulate flow and temperature and manage

morphology • Roll-to-roll printing allows continuous production instead of batch processes• High volume production prints 1 meter per second and 30,000 square meters

per day • Production of high-value, low-cost products• Requires skilled workers and provides high, stable wages


“On the Ground” NGOs serving remote areas are becoming more effective and efficient by using tools made available by the “digital revolution.”

“Patient Capital” is increasingly intent on closing the financing gap needed to start families on the virtuous cycle created by access to Tier 1 electrification. Power Bloom’s mission fits a cross-section of impact funds to provide scale and reach for: Sustainable Development, Clean Energy, Social Equity, Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development and Woman Founded Companies.

FIGURE 6: The Digital Revolution and Electrification

In the same manner that distributed power allows households and communities to “leapfrog” traditional grid electrification, the digital revolution results in services being available to remote populations at nominal marginal costs. It would be hard to overstate the degree of increased wellbeing provided by deployment of services such as mobile banking, internet access, micro-finance platforms, pay-as-you-go mobile financing, capital for sustainable development and LED lighting – all enabled by the digital revolution and electrification.

Digital Revolution

& Electrification

Mobile Banking

Micro-Finance Platforms

Pay-as-You-GoMobile

Financing

Capital for Sustainable

Development

Internet Access

LED Lighting

Fund Names Area(s) of Impact Committed Capital ($M)

Bezos Earth Fund Energy, Climate, Environment $ 10,000.0

The Rise Fund Energy, Education, Food, Financial Services, Technology $ 2,100.0

Amazon Earth Fund Energy, Climate, Environment $ 2,000.0

Climate Change Capital Carbon Clean Energy & Clean Carbon Economy $ 1,000.0

Omidyar Network Social Equity, Technology, Human Capital $ 735.0

Blue Haven Initiative Improve Living Standards & Economic Opportunity $ 500.0

Bain Capital Double Impact Scaling Social & Economic Impact $ 390.0

Pivotal Ventures Gender Equality in Tech $ 50.0

FIGURE 7: Select Impact Investment Funds


9. Improvement to OSC technology continues to be actively pursued in universities across the globe: Technical University of Denmark, Wuhan University, Chinese Academy of Sciences – Beijing, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Monash University, Shenzhen University, RIKEN, Wako Japan, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Japan, Imperial College London, University of Washington, University of Alberta, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Barah, Iran, University of Newcastle, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, University of Ghana, University of Michigan, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Oulu, Finland, Technical University of Cartagena, Spain, National Research Council of Canada, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, China, Rice University, University of Cambridge, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Commercialization of Organic Solar Cells - Lowest Cost at Scale

I. Cost Projections and Progress: Quotes and Data from Journal Publications9

1. Thermally stable, highly efficient, ultra-flexible organic photovoltaics PNAS | May1,2018 | vol.115 | no.18 | 4593 Significance (of this research): “We have developed an ultra-flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) that achieves sufficient thermal stability of up to 120 °C and a high-power conversion efficiency of 10% with a total thickness of 3 μm. By combining an inherently stable donor: acceptor blend as the active layer and ultrathin substrate and barriers with excellent thermal capability, we were able to overcome the trade-offs between efficiency, stability, and device thickness. The ultra-flexible and thermally stable OPV can be easily integrated into textiles through the commercially available hot-melt process without causing performance degradation, thereby presenting great potential as a ubiquitous and wearable power source in daily life.”

2. Overcoming the Scaling Lag for Polymer Solar Cells Joule 1, 274–289, October 11, 2017 ©2017 Elsevier Inc. Conclusions: “We have demonstrated how the processing conditions are particularly important in scaling of polymer solar cells. Crucial to transferring the high performance to large-scale roll-to-roll processing was the drying conditions of the active layer, and here it was found that a solvent system employing a sacrificial solvent was necessary. We further describe how a number of developments were needed for large-scale preparation, installation, and operation of large polymer solar cell panels in a grid-tied system. We report the operational stability and monitoring over a 2-year period and confidently conclude that OPV has what it takes to become an energy technology contributing to our sustainable future. We also conclude that our focus needs to change to address the more technical aspects to further enable OPV.”

APPENDIX


c-Si = Crystalline Silicon, CdTe = Cadmium Telluride, OPV = Organic Photovoltaic – Organic Solar Cells

3. A universal layer-by-layer solution-processing approach for efficient non-fullerene organic solar cells Royal Society of Chemistry Energy Environment Science 2019-12 384 Broader context (of this research) “Among the photovoltaic technologies, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are a key technology for inexpensive and sustainable light-to-energy conversion because they can be processed from solution and deposited on flexible plastic substrates using high throughput roll-to-roll technologies. Great progress has been made over the last few years in the development of highly efficient non-fullerene OPVs with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 14% for single solar cells and 17% for tandem solar cells based on the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) configuration. However, the BHJ architecture is not ideal because optimal nanoscale morphologies are very difficult to

FIGURE 7: Table 1. Comparison of Scaled Cost and Installation between This Work and Prototypical First- and Second-Generation PV

FIGURE 8: Table 2. Comparison of Technologies Based on Parameters


realize and are highly sensitive to the processing conditions and material properties. Unlike the BHJ approach, the layer-by- layer (LbL) processing strategy can be used to form pseudo-bilayer configurations in active layers, which are beneficial to the charge transportation and collection at the corresponding electrodes. In this contribution, we demonstrated the high generality of the LbL processing approach using the same selective solvent for improving the efficiency and stability of OPVs. Our results indicated that the LbL approach is a superior alternative to the BHJ technique for the fabrication of solution-processed high performance OSCs.”

4. How to Optimize Materials and Devices via Design of Experiments and Machine Learning: Demonstration Using Organic Photovoltaics ACS Nano 2018, 12, 7434−7444, Bing Cao, Lawrence A. Adutwum, Anton O. Oliynyk, Erik J. Luber, Brian C. Olsen, Arthur Mar, and Jillian M. Buriak “Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technologies are of great interest because of the potential to mass manufacture these “plastic” solar cells through ambient processing, such as roll-to-roll printing, inkjet printing, and spray coating. Unlike silicon-based solar cells that have an energy payback period of several years, organic photovoltaics could theoretically have an energy payback as short as 24 hours due to the low energy costs associated with their production. Organic photovoltaics also have the advantages of being lightweight and flexible with tunable color and the potential for recycling. Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of OPV devices have now reached over 14%, but these solar cells are not yet commercialized.” “In this Perspective, we describe how Design of Experiments, combined with machine-learning analysis, can dramatically increase the rate of screening and optimization of materials properties and devices. An organized approach to experimental design and data collection and reporting could serve as a starting point for real machine learning applied to devices such as OPVs. In a device such as an organic photovoltaic, for example, the level of complexity is high due to the sheer number of components and processing conditions, and thus, changing one variable can have multiple unforeseen effects due to their interconnectivity.” Conclusion “Such an approach to making academic materials science more efficient could have enormous implications, enabling us to solve problems that threaten humanity’s very survival more rapidly, such as the optimization of technologies that underpin the transition to a low-carbon world.”

5. Efficient Low-Cost Materials for Solar Energy Applications: Roles of Nanotechnology IntechOpen http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79136 ©Williams S. Ebhota and Tien-Chien Jen

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79136


FIGURE 9: “OLED manufacturing costs are steadily decreasing, and markets are expected to explode.”11

The OLED market has followed the typical pattern of science and technology innovation: fulfilling consumer markets first – creating advanced products for the rich, then expanding to products affordable to the middle class as costs come down due to improved manufacturing processes and from economies of scale. As capacity increases, costs only increase to the power 0.6 – thus describing economies of scale and the power of learning.12

10. IDTechEx, © 2019

11. Ibid

12. Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, Penguin Press, Geoffrey West © 2017

Conclusions “To effectively respond to the global energy challenges, the generation of energy to satisfy the increasing demand should be done without compromising the environment. Solar energy is a potential alternative to fossil fuel is known for CO2 emission. As such, photovoltaic solar system is seen as the best option to fossil fuels. The exploitability of solar resource amongst renewable energy sources and the production of low-cost flexible PV cells will facilitate energy trilemma success.”

II. Scaling Organic Semiconductors OLEDs – Organic Light Emitting Diodes used for displays and TVs are the best-known application of organic semiconductors. OLEDs turn electric energy into light energy, the reverse of OSCs. The OLED display industry, with current capacity of 16 million square meters per year is predicated to exceed $80 billion in revenue this year and the newer OLED lighting industry is projected to exceed $1.8 billion by 2025.10


FIGURE 10: Example Benefits from Scale and Learning to Reduce Costs and Time to Market OLED Lighting

project start project end

0

100

200

300

euro

s pe

r m2

encapsulation

anodes

organic materials

extraction layers

other

labor

substrate

cover glass

Flexolighting project led by Brunel University London and a consortium of partners including Marks & Spencer, Tata Steel and AIXTRON SE, completed in 2018 showed if all of the processes, materials and components developed during the project were to be adopted, a cost saving of over 90% would be possible.

Economies of scale have yet to be realized for OSCs. But it can be and is being done! Below is an example of the benefits of scale even when applied to an organic semiconductor product. A 90% reduction in costs to produce OLEDs for lighting:


Power Bloom Inc.283 Oak Road,Santa Barbara,CA 93108 USA

powerbloom.com [email protected]

http://powerbloom.com

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