Silicon uses near-ultraviolet light poorly. High-energy photons are converted inefficiently, and ultraviolet exposure ages the polymers in the module.
SolaGro makes a luminescent polymer film that shifts that ultraviolet into wavelengths where the cell responds more strongly.
The film works on any silicon panel, applied at the factory or fitted to installations already in the field.
The programme began with ultraviolet down-conversion in aliphatic amino-acid-derived Guerbet surfactants. Structure-property optimisation then identified an ortho-aminobenzoic-acid-derived Guerbet surfactant as the lead photovoltaic luminophore.
It is formulated in a transparent PMMA film, and it is the surfactant-derived platform and its photovoltaic application that are protected.
No heavy metals. No rare earths.
The competing classes are quantum dots, rare-earth phosphors, organic dyes and photonic or perovskite coatings. Each buys photon conversion at a price in toxicity, critical-mineral dependence or photostability.
Ours carries no heavy-metal or rare-earth luminophore, is built from conventional feedstocks and is processed as ordinary polymer film. The wider surfactant family has produced favourable cytotoxicity results across several datasets; formulation-specific safety validation continues.
The film acts on the incoming spectrum rather than the cell junction, so it works alongside whichever cell architecture prevails.
It also reaches the installed base, which no cell-level improvement can do.
SolaGro is being prepared as a proposed spinout from research at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, led by Dr Frans Smit in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. Dr Smit and Michael Rivers are co-founders.
The science team brings expertise in surfactant chemistry, homogeneous catalysis, polymer science and analytical characterisation.
Field validation is being designed with independent power producers on their own monitoring infrastructure, across sites chosen to span different irradiance and climate conditions.
We are looking for industrial partners, module manufacturers and validation facilities. If the chemistry or the application interests you, we would like to hear from you.