Solar Cells Info

Plan under way to build German production facility that will manufacture solar modules based on CIS technology.

Torgau, Germany
Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com
http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46677

With news headlines around the world reporting on the silicon shortage and its potential impact on the future of the solar industry, two European-based companies are banking that next-generation non-silicon technology will be a cost-competitive — and energy efficient — alternative to silicon solar modules.

Shell Erneuerbare Energien GmbH and Saint-Gobain Glass Deutschland GmbH, recently announced plans to join forces and create AVANCIS — an entity that will develop, produce and market next generation solar technology based on Shell’s advanced Copper-Indium-Selenium (CIS) thin-film deposited on glass. One of the first orders of business for AVANCIS will be to build a manufacturing plant in Torgau, Germany that will produce photovoltaic panels using the CIS technology.

(more…)

Article by Bruce Morey
Source:  Solarforecast.com
http://www.solarforecast.com/ArticleDetails.php?articleID=322

With the on-going shortage of silicon feedstock on the minds of many in the solar PV industry, it is natural to seek an alternative to creating solar cells that use silicon based products. CIGS solar cells, sometimes referred to as CIS, are made from Copper, Indium, Gallium and Selenium and have been under development for some time. Most notably, they do not contain any silicon. If current announced plans are achieved, this technology should be able to deliver solar modules in production quantities in 2007. The steps to production have included manufacturing ramp-up and the work needed for market introduction.
(more…)

Thin-Film Startup Raises $35M

As the silicon shortage continues, investors focus on thin-film solar technologies.
October 27, 2006
source:  Redherring.com
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=19435

Miasolé has raised $35 million in venture capital funding to begin producing its thin-film solar cells, CEO David Pearce said Friday.

The company wouldn’t disclose investors or terms of the deal, but previous investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Firelake Strategic Technology Fund, Garage Technology Ventures, and Nippon Kouatsu Electric. The startup is using the money to expand, Mr. Pearce said. Miasolé is building a factory with the capacity to produce 50 megawatts-worth of cells annually at its offices in Santa Clara, he said. He added that the company has additional manufacturing plans, but said he wouldn’t disclose details.

(more…)

By Joanna Glasner, Nov, 06, 2006
Source: Wired.com
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72058-0.html?tw=wn_technology_1

In a world where sun-powered garden lights seem like a nifty idea, new technologies touted by solar energy startups sound very far out. Entrepreneurs promise that soon solar-energized “power plastic” will radically extend the battery life of laptops and cell phones. Ultra-cheap printed solar cells will enable construction of huge power-generating facilities at a fraction of today’s costs. And technologies to integrate solar power-generation capability into building materials will herald a new era of energy-efficient construction.

Those are ambitious goals for a technology famous for powering pocket calculators, but investors are paying heed. This year, solar startups have snapped up more than $100 million in venture capital to develop printable materials capable of converting sunlight into electrical power. Soaring energy demand, as well as short supplies of polysilicon, a key ingredient in most solar cells, is fueling interest in alternative materials.
(more…)