en.Wedoany.com Reported - Canadian startup Reflect10 has launched a photovoltaic module with an integrated light reflection structure, claiming it can increase energy yield by 20% compared to traditional solar panels.
Reflect10 founder Louis Massicotte told pv magazine that extensive academic research exists on adding reflectors to conventional flat panels. For example, reports published in 2023 and 2025 show gains of 11% to 57% when placing adjustable mirrors next to vertical bifacial modules. However, such systems require moving parts, motors, and additional land. Reflect10's solution does not rely on external mirrors but embeds reflective geometry within the module architecture. According to the company, sunlight undergoes multiple reflections within the structure before being absorbed by the photovoltaic cells, thereby increasing photon capture without modifying the cells themselves. The company has not disclosed further technical details.
The company claims this architecture can boost average daily energy yield by 20%; increase power output by 2.66 times during low-irradiance periods such as early morning and late afternoon; and enhance energy production by 19% under diffuse light conditions like cloudy or hazy skies.
Massicotte stated that this achievement represents a significant and immediately actionable step forward, given the industry's long-standing challenge with the Shockley-Queisser limit. This limit dictates that the theoretical maximum conversion efficiency of single-junction silicon cells is below 30% under real-world conditions and 33.7% in laboratory settings. Reflect10 says these performance figures are based on optical simulations and proof-of-concept field tests conducted in Quebec and Morocco over a nine-month period (from late summer 2025 to May 2026).
The company plans to officially unveil the technology at a press conference in Paris on July 7. It has already filed three Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, one of which reportedly received a favorable written opinion after international search, covering all 18 claims. Reflect10 also stated that simulations conducted by the National Optics Institute of Canada (INO/Luqia) have been reviewed by the Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île-de-France (IPVF), which issued a scientific opinion supporting the numerical results provided by the company. In that opinion, IPVF Research Director Pere Roca i Cabarrocas wrote that by increasing power generation during morning and evening hours, the technology helps better match peak electricity demand while reducing generation concentration around the solar noon peak.
The document notes that the technology is based on geometric optics principles, following Snell's law. The opinion also suggests that by achieving performance gains at the module structure level rather than within the solar cell itself, this approach differs markedly from the industry's typical improvement pace, and the method appears adaptable to various module sizes and installation configurations. Reflect10 says it has no intention of manufacturing solar modules itself but instead launched a sealed-bid licensing process on June 30, offering 50 non-exclusive intellectual property licenses to module manufacturers, sovereign wealth funds, and investment funds. The minimum bid has not been disclosed. Massicotte stated that the technology increases photon capture through mirror cavity reflection without expanding solar farms, achieving significant generation gains simply by replacing panels. He believes the design is particularly suitable for repowering existing solar power plants. The company also plans to develop building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) versions for rooftop, facade, and photovoltaic fence applications.
