Morgan Solar, Inc. is a Canadian solar power and optical technology company based in Toronto, Ontario. Since 2017, the company has specialized in urban sunlight management, led by its SPOTlight platform.[1] The company also produces in situ IV curve tracers[2] and optical film technologies.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Solar Power Sustainable Energy |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | John Paul Morgan Nicolas Morgan |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario , Canada |
| Products | BIPV In Situ IV Curve Tracers Optical Films |
Number of employees | <30 (2022) |
| Website | morgansolar.com |
History
editMorgan Solar was founded in 2007 by brothers John Paul Morgan and Nicolas Morgan as an optical technology company with the goal of achieving solar power generation at costs rivalling traditional energy sources.[citation needed] Morgan Solar grew to employ over 50 scientists, engineers and business administrators in the GTA[4] as well as a number of manufacturing experts, test site managers and business developers outside of Canada.[citation needed]
In 2010 Asif Ansari, former founder and CEO of eSolar, joined Morgan Solar as Chief Executive Officer.[5] Ansari's corporate portfolio includes leadership positions with eSolar and Suntrough Energy.[6]
Pivot:
In 2016 Mike Andrade, former President of the new products division of Celestica, took over as Chief Executive Officer.[7] Andrade's corporate portfolio includes leadership positions with Celestica as part of the founding management team as well as building Celestica's PV business.[citation needed]
Under Andrade's leadership the company underwent a significant pivot closing both its CPV and Tracker divisions. Beginning in 2017 the company rebranded as a Light Management Solutions Provider. The company's new product portfolio includes its SPOTlight (Simple Planar Optical Technology) platform, it's IV DAQ - an in situ IV curve tracer, and SimbaX an optical film used to optimize the performance of silicon panels.[citation needed]
Technology
editSPOTlight Platform
editMSI created a series of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)[8] integrated with Simple Planar Optic Technology. SPOTlight product integrate traditional silicon solar cells with performance optimizing optics. The portfolio includes architectural fins, shading slats, pergolas, brise soleils and energy producing window coverings.[9]
IV DAQ and Analytic Platform
editThe IV DAQ is an in situ IV curve tracer which captures module performance data as often as once per minute. IV curves from individual IV DAQs are transferred, along with data from reference cells,[10] weather stations and pyranometers, through a wireless gateway to the cloud-based Analytics Portal, where longitudinal data can be compared and analyzed to determine DC-side field health.[11] The in situ tracer represents an improvement over traditional handheld tracers which capture sparse and disparate data points, and which are not easily correlated with other sensors.[12]
SimbaX
editSimbaX Optic Films are a legacy product from MSI's time as an industry leading CPV company. SimbaX optic films are applied to Silicon PV back sheets optimizing performance by maximizing the amount of photons that reach individual PV cells.[13]
Legacy Technology
editSun Simba CPV
editThe Sun Simba used a customized "Light-guide Solar Optic"[14][15] to focus light collected over a large surface area on to a relatively small, highly efficient solar cell for conversion into electricity. Multiple generations[16] of the Sun Simba were developed and deployed at test sites in Ontario and California.[17] The highest reported active area efficiency of the Sun Simba was 29%,[18] as compared to the experimental world record efficiency of 44.7% in 2013.[19]
Savanna Dual-Axis Tracker
editThe Savanna PV tracker is designed both to complement the Sun Simba CPV panel, and to be used as an augmentation to improve the output of standard PV solar panels.[20] Solar panels generate the most power when they are directly facing the sun. By using a tracking system to keep panels properly aligned, output power production can be significantly increased. The Savanna distinguishes itself from many other trackers on the market in that it is much easier to install, requiring no heavy equipment or specialized infrastructure to be assembled ahead of time.[20]
Investors
editMorgan Solar has raised over US$38 million in investments as of the end of 2011.[21] In addition to monetary investments Morgan Solar has formed strategic partnerships with several companies, including Iberdrola, Enbridge, inc.[22] and Enertech.[23]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Spotlight". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "IV DAQ & Analytics Portal". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "SimbaX". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "About Morgan Solar". morgansolar.com. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Founder and ex-CEO of eSolar Asif Ansari takes the helm of Canadian startup Morgan Solar". Canadian Newswire. 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Suntrough Goes Small With Solar Thermal in Developing Nations". www.greentechmedia.com. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Morgan Solar Board Appoints Mike Andrade as CEO". Canadian Newswire. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- ^ Canada, Natural Resources (2018-07-17). "Building-integrated Photovoltaics". www.nrcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "Energy Blinds". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ Driesse, Anton (2021-09-29). "PV Reference Cells for Outdoor Use: An Investigation of Calibration Factors". doi:10.2172/1823768. OSTI 1823768. S2CID 241133739.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Lotfifard, Saeed (October 2015). "Modeling and Health Monitoring of DC Side of Photovoltaic Array". IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. 6 (4): 1245. Bibcode:2015ITSE....6.1245A. doi:10.1109/TSTE.2015.2425791. S2CID 36015306.
- ^ "IV DAQ & Analytics Portal". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "SimbaX". Morgan Solar. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "How it works". morgansolar.com. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ Tyler Hamilton (2009-02-20). "A Cheaper Solar Concentrator". technologyreview.com. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
- ^ Darius Snieckus (2012-02-02). "Innovative module promises to make solar energy cheaper than coal and natural gas". Recharge News. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "SUNLAB Solar Test site". University of Ottawa. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "About Sun Simba". morgansolar.com. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (2013-09-23). "World record solar cell with 44.7% efficiency". Science Daily. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ a b "About Savanna PV Tracker". morgansolar.com. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
- ^ "Media Release: Morgan Solar Inc. closes B round at USD $28.8 M, with USD $9.8 M investment from Enbridge Inc". Canadian Newswire. 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
- ^ "Morgan Solar's smart solar power: Investing in Innovation Series (Part 4)". Enbridge inc. 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
- ^ "EnerTech Signs Strategic Investment and Partnership Agreement with Morgan Solar Inc. Transferring Solar Concentrated Photovoltaic Technology to Kuwait and the Middle East Region". PR Newswire. 2014-05-01. Retrieved 2014-10-09.