Ledger · 2026-08-29 · Materials Science / Photovoltaics

PDMS/SiO2 Superhydrophobic Anti-Soiling Nanocoating for Photovoltaic Arrays

Rejected

This concept did not clear the framework. The reasoning is published in full below.

Why it failed

• Voided by: Negative control / sub-2x

Assessment

The primary performance delta is evaluated against uncoated solar glass, which constitutes a negative control baseline under Sub-test E. Comparing against an untreated baseline forces incumbent_legitimacy=false and superiority=false.

Claimed advantage

6.5x reduction in efficiency loss (6.5% loss down to <1%) compared to uncoated glass baseline

Named comparator: Uncoated solar glass / Manual cleaning

Also flagged

• Single-source evidence base
• Price parity asserted, not sourced

A rejection is not a claim that the science is wrong. It means the venture case did not survive: the comparator was not what the buyer actually buys, the comparison was not like-for-like, the advantage fell short of a step change, or the capital and time to first revenue were prohibitive.

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Assessed 2026-08-29 against seven gates plus the voiding sub-tests. How the method works · Browse all concepts