Sencera raises $3.6 Million to Build 1 Megawatt PV Manufacturing Platform
Solar Energy Company Sencera raises $3.6 Million to Build 1 Megawatt PV Manufacturing Platform
Charlotte, N.C., Apr 15, 2008
Source: Sencera International Corp./BusinessWire/TradingMarkets.com
Sencera International Corporation, a photovoltaic thin film module and systems developer, announced today that it has secured a $3.6 million equity investment. Funds will be used to accelerate increases in cell efficiency and to complete process integration of the Viper(TM) manufacturing platform. This process is projected to manufacture solar modules at a cost less than $1 per watt. The investment is led by The Quercus Trust. “The Quercus Trust has a long history of investing in the renewable energy sector,” stated Sencera CEO, Dr. Rusty Jewett. “We feel privileged to be part of their portfolio.”
Established in 2003, Sencera customers included the US Army and the US Display Consortium. Sencera’s plasma processes and hardware were successfully utilized in Thin Film Transistor and Integrated Circuit applications. These processes have direct photovoltaic applications. In 2006, Sencera began contract work for leading CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide) solar cell developers. Success on CIGS cell processes validated The Company’s tools and processes in the solar industry. In 2007, Sencera embarked on the development of proprietary thin film amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon solar cells.
Sencera was founded by Dr. Russell Jewett, a PhD in Nuclear Engineering. He is a plasma physicist with broad experience from research at Sandia National Labs to commercial success in both large semi-conductor companies and start-up ventures. Jewett began his commercial career with Lam Research, a semi-conductor hardware company. Recognizing a market need for a high-reliability integrated power source, Jewett founded Litmas in 1997. Sales of the Litmas Blue product line to Fortune 500 customers such as IBM, Motorola and Texas Instruments resulted in the sale of the company to Advanced Energies Inc., a publicly traded company based in Ft. Collins, Colorado, where Jewett became Chief Technology Officer for the Control Systems and Instrumentation Division. In 2003, Jewett began Sencera, his second start up venture. 20 years of plasma physics research and system design have resulted in several pending patents and an intellectual property portfolio that protect Sencera’s proprietary systems.
Use of proceeds from the $3.6 million equity investment will be used to build a prototype 1 Megawatt (MW) thin film photovoltaic manufacturing platform. Work will also center on solar cell efficiency milestones. Upon the completion of the demonstration phase, Sencera will begin construction on a 35-50 MW PV module manufacturing line employing 60-75 highly skilled workers. The site for the line will be selected from several candidate locations.