Dr. CALVIN CHENG

Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder
Edgehog Advanced Technologies Inc., CA

​​​​​​​

​​​​​Bio​​​

Dr. Calvin Cheng is Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder at Edgehog Advanced Technologies Inc., an award-winning clean tech company in Canada. Calvin is a technology entrepreneur who also serves as President of the board of directors at Pueblo Science, promoting science education in low resource settings. Select awards including the CES Climate Change Innovation Award and Mitacs Outstanding Entrepreneur Award. He holds a Ph.D. in nanomaterials chemistry from the University of Toronto.

​Presentation ​​

Enhancing Solar Panel Efficiency through Wide-Angle Anti-Reflection Technologies

Maximizing solar panel performance requires optimal installation angles, yet challenges arise when sunlight hits the panels at angles greater than 55 degrees for around 30% of the time, leading to significant reflections. This work explores the application of nanotextured anti-reflection technologies to mitigate losses especially at wide angles. We present a new generation of moth-eye nanotexturing that creates a gentle gradient in the index of refraction for transmitted light, no matter the wavelength and angle of incidence. Across diverse geographic and climate conditions, this novel approach to anti-reflection can enhance annual solar panel power output by 5-6% for optimally tilted panels and up to 12% for building-side mounted vertical panels such as those used in urban integration. Our work demonstrates how wide-angle anti-reflection technology can advance solar energy efficiencies on a global scale.