Solar Cells Info

Milpitas, CA, July 12, 2007
Source: SoloPower press release
http://www.solopower.com/about/news/series_b_financing.html

SoloPower, an innovator of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells and modules, today announced the completion of its Series B financing which raised $30 million. The deal was led by new investor, Convexa Capital and supported by Scatec AS and Spencer Energy AS. Existing investors, Crosslink Capital, Firsthand Capital Management and Musea Ventures also joined the round. The new funds will support the company’s efforts to further develop, manufacture and commercialize a new generation of high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells and modules. (more…)

By Jenni Laidmann, Blade Staff Writer
Source: ToledoBlade.com
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/NEWS34/707130364

A fledgling solar energy company founded by a University of Toledo professor received $7 million in venture capital this week.  This first round of funding from a Swiss company, Emerald Technology Ventures, and NPG Energy Technology Partners of Washington means MWOE Solar Inc. of Toledo can complete a pilot production line to demonstrate its high-volume, low-cost method of making solar cells on a stainless-steel substrate no thicker than a sheet of paper.
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New Delhi 28 Jul, 2007
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Corporate_Announcement/

Moser Baer Photo Voltaic (MBPV), a Moser Baer subsidiary, has entered into an eight-year, $880-million agreement with Norway-based REC Group for sourcing multi-crystalline silicon wafers. Silicon wafers go into manufacturing wafer-based solar cells.  MBPV uses multiple technologies, including crystalline silicon, nano-technology and thin film, to make solar cells and modules. It has manufacturing facilities in an SEZ at Greater Noida. (more…)

Source: Associated Press/ July 24, 2007
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070724/NEWS01/70724002/-1/DW

DOVER — Chemical maker DuPont Co. will lead a federally funded effort to develop and test prototype high-efficiency solar cells that could improve the lives of U.S. military troops, the company said Monday.  DuPont has joined with the University of Delaware to establish the Very High Efficiency Solar Cell Consortium, which initially will focus on developing affordable portable battery chargers based on ultrahigh efficiency solar cells. The announcement follows the university’s demonstration of a viable design for a solar cell with a potential efficiency increase of 30 percent. (more…)

Golden, Colo., July 25, 2007
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/86778.html

U.S. Energy Department researchers and Innovalight Inc. have found that quantum dot materials may improve efficiency of silicon solar cells.  Researchers at the department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have shown that a new and important effect called Multiple Exciton Generation occurs efficiently in silicon nanocrystals. MEG results in the formation of more than one electron per absorbed photon.
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Source: Printed Electronics World / 30 Jul 2007
http://www.idtechex.com/printedelectronicsworld/articles/when_will_organic_photovoltaics_be_viable_00000652.asp

The benefits of non-silicon photovoltaic materials are many and varied. Some are transparent, permitting the face of a wristwatch to generate power, the power source having zero footprints. Some, such as Dye Sensitised Solar Cells printed by G24i in the UK, generate electricity at narrow angles of incidence and even with polarised eg reflected light. DSSC designs can use light of all visible frequencies, not just sunlight. G24i’s initial target markets for its DSSC product include mobile phone chargers, particularly in the developing world. (more…)

Joint Press Release by WACKER and SCHOTT
Munich / Mainz, August 2nd, 2007
http://www.presseportal.de/pm/9155/1025847/wacker_chemie_ag

SCHOTT WACKER Solar to produce multicrystalline silicon wafers for solar cells, €370 million investment to create at least 700 new jobs, Production start-up in 2007, Capacity expansion phased to reach 1 gigawatt per year by 2012.

Wacker Chemie AG and SCHOTT Solar, a 100 percent subsidiary of the worldwide SCHOTT group, plan to set up two joint ventures to produce and market silicon   wafers for solar applications. WACKER and SCHOTT signed a related agreement today. Over the next years, the two partners plan to invest a total of EUR370 million in facilities in Jena (Thuringia) and Alzenau (Bavaria), creating at least 700 new jobs at these German sites. The project is subject to approval by the German and European authorities. The joint venture – SCHOTT WACKER Solar GmbH – is scheduled to start operations this year. It will produce multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers, the starting material for solar cells. Solar-wafer production capacity is set to expand in stages, reaching about one gigawatt/year by 2012. This will make the joint venture one of the world´s five largest solar-wafer  manufacturers.
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Nanjing, China, July 12, 2007
Source; Unted Press International
http://www.upi.com/Energy/Briefing/2007/07/12/s

China Sunergy Co. announced it has received patent approval for its N-type cells from China’s State Intellectual Property Office.  China Sunergy manufactures solar cells from silicon wafers utilizing crystalline silicon solar cell technology based in Nanjing. The approval from the State Intellectual Property Office covers a period of 20 years. China Sunergy has also submitted a patent application to SIPO for P-type selective emitter cell technology and is awaiting the potential approval in 2009. (more…)

Edwin Cartlidge, PhysicsWorld.com /Jul 2, 2007
Feature Article
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/30345

Nanotechnology could transform solar cells from niche products to devices that provide a significant fraction of the world’s energy, as Edwin Cartlidge discusses.

The burning of skin on a hot summer’s day, the awesome power of a tornado or the existence of a simple blade of grass all testify to one thing: the huge amount of energy transmitted to us from the Sun. In a single hour the Sun delivers the same amount of energy as consumed by all of humanity in a year – about 5 × 1020 J – and in 36 hours releases as much energy as exists in the Earth’s estimated oil reserves. When you combine this with the fact that solar energy is essentially inexhaustible, available to everyone the world over and generates no greenhouse gases or other harmful pollutants, it seems hard to imagine why we do not make greater use of it. (more…)

Focus on improving Solar Cell Manufacturers costs and efficiencies
Albuqerque, N.M. /August 3, 2007
Source: Surfect.com press release
http://www.surfect.com/Download/Solar_PR.pdf

Surfect Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: SUFH.OB), announced today that its subsidiary, Surfect Technologies, Inc., a design and manufacturing company offering an innovative single-cell electroplating tool and process for the semiconductor industry has announced a new development program for addressing the requirements of the growing solar cell plating and module packaging industry. Surfect is targeting solar cell suppliers to develop advanced, lower cost interconnect and module packaging technologies leveraging their semiconductor high volume manufacturing experience. Surfect’s solar program will immediately address technology and tools for improving the efficiency and costs for producing solar cells. Surfect’s experience with thin wafer and wafer scale packaging technology should enable more innovative and cost-effective solar products.
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