Ascent Solar Exceeds 10% Efficiency Milestone
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 8, 2009...Ascent Solar Technologies, a developer of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar modules, reports that it has achieved 10 percent conversion efficiency. The United States Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory independently verified that the company reached its initial target module efficiency goal of 10 percent. The NREL measured the conversion efficiency as high as 10.4 percent when it tested Ascent Solar's standard 429 cm2 modules that came from its 1.5MW production line, which began operation in Q1 of 2009.
Dr. Prem Nath, Sr. Vice President of Production Operations for Ascent Solar, stated, “This is a significant breakthrough in demonstrating our ability to manufacture monolithically integrated flexible CIGS modules with greater than 10% module efficiency in commercial production. Ascent’s high-volume 30MW commercial plant is scheduled to commence initial production at the beginning of 2010. Module efficiency of 10.0% is a vital element for our low-cost-per-watt manufacturing goal in high volume and will establish Ascent Solar as a leader in the production of lightweight flexible photovoltaics used for portable power and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products.”
Dr. Harin S. Ullal, Senior Project Manager for the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, stated, “Ascent Solar has made progress in advancing the state-of-the-art flexible, lightweight thin-film CIGS PV technology. NREL has independently verified module conversion efficiency of more than 10.0% for several thin-film CIGS monolithically integrated modules deposited on flexible, lightweight plastic substrates.”
Ascent Solar News Release Congress May Accelerate Solar Adoption
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 8, 2009...The American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009
passed the House on June 26, 2009. Among its main provisions is a mandate for the United States to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the start of 2021. The bill is now headed to the United States Senate for a vote. The law would mandate that the use of renewable energy sources for electricity jump from current level of about 6 percent to 20 percent, more than tripling in about 10 years. Renewable energy sources such as wind, biofuel, and solar will be among the main beneficiaries of the law.
The bill creates a cap and trade system for electricity producers. The system would penalize electricity producers who do not generate electricity from renewable sources and award those who do with renewable energy credits. These credits can then be traded instead of paying fines.
Under the law, relatively small, on-site power generators such as a solar array on a building's roof would be awarded triple the renewable energy credits. This would also boost the use of solar.
A recent Forbes magazine article cited analysts at Deutsche Bank who predicted that the use of solar could grow at nearly 30 percent per year for the next decade with the help of the American Clean Energy Security Act.
While much of the solar will likely be in the form of silicon, other advanced sources such as copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film will probably also benefit, especially if problems CIGS volume manufacturing and processing can be overcome.
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July 8, 2009...Nextreme Thermal Solutions, the a maker of microscale thermal and power management products including LED, and laser diode cooling, has raised $8 million in additional Series B financing from undisclosed corporate investors. The Series B total for the company is now more than $21 million and $35 million since its inception in 2004. The company says that the additional funding will be used to expand its presence and products for energy harvesting for micro and portable power along with solidifying its position for thermal management products in computing, consumer and mobile markets.
Nextreme reportedly offers microscale cooling and thermal energy harvesting solutions that integrate directly into electronic and consumer product packaging. Applications for the technology include: CPU/GPU hot spot cooling, power MOSFET cooling, LED cooling, laser diode cooling, thermal energy scavenging, thermal control in consumer products, power harvesting for sensors, and process control. Nextreme points out that drive to put more functionality into ever-smaller packages has created a need for more thermal management technology over the past three decades.
"This funding from corporate investors represents a very significant validation of our company and technology, especially during these challenging times,” said Jesko von Windheim, CEO of Nextreme. “With our Series B financing now fully in place, the company is well positioned to execute its product development and sales plan over the next two years.” Company News Release Epistar Orders Aixtron Systems Including 150th System Order
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 6, 2009...Epistar, a long-time Aixtron customer, has reportedly placed a multiple system order which included its 150th Aixtron system. Aixtron says that the multi-system order that is comprised of CRIUS Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) reactors and AIX 2800G4 HT Planetary Reactor systems is expected to be delivered in Q3 of 2009. Epistar will reportedly use the systems for volume production of gallium nitride (GaN)-based LEDs.
In a recent ceremony in Taiwan, Aixtron’s COO Dr. Bernd Schulte presented an award to Dr. B.J. Lee, Chairman of Epistar, to celebrate the 150 systems Epistar has bought from Aixtron.
Dr. B.J. Lee, Chairman of Epistar, commented, "We know that we can trust that our 150th Aixtron MOCVD tool will be as useful as our first, and we are also looking forward to bringing our recently ordered systems on stream in the very near future.”
Dr. Bernd Schulte, Aixtron's Executive Vice President and COO, added, "Epistar has developed considerable expertise with the AIX 2600G3, producing some of the brightest AlInGaP LEDs in the market and has also developed extremely high performance GaN products with the Aixtron Nitride Planetary Reactor systems. We are very proud to have been able to contribute towards Epistar’s success over recent years.”
Company News Release QuantaSol Completes £2 Million Funding Round and Unveils 28.3% Efficient Single-Junction Solar Concentrator Cells
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 6, 2009...QuantaSol Ltd, a developer and maker of quantum-well solar cells based in Kingston-upon-Thames, UK, claims to have achieved a new world record efficiency for single-junction solar concentrator cells. QuantaSol reports that Fraunhofer ISE independently tested the solar concentrator cells and found them to be 28.3 percent efficient at greater than 500 suns. The company also reported that it completed a £2 Million second round of funding last week.
QuantaSol says its approach combines several nanostructures of two or more different alloys to obtain synthetic crystals that overcome the problems manufacturing difficulties of current solar cell designs, while also greatly enhancing the photovoltaic conversion efficiency.
QuantaSol started as a spin-out of Imperial College London in June 2007 to commercialize the University’s solar cell IP and offer devices to concentrator Photovoltaic (PV) systems developers. Imperial will reportedly showcase a QuantaSol device at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London this week. The company reportedly hopes to combine some of the same manufacturing methods and technology to the production of multi-junction solar cells.
“Our technology is the industry’s best kept secret. This is the first time that anyone has successfully combined high efficiency with ease of manufacture, historically a bug-bear of the solar cell industry,” said Kevin Arthur, QuantaSol’s CEO. “We’re now gearing up to provide multi-junction cells of even higher efficiencies as early as Q1 2010.”
Company News Release RFMD and NREL to Collaborate on Solar Cell Manufacturing
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 1, 2009...RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD) of Greensboro, North Carolina USA will be working with the department of energy on a solar project. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop a commercially viable and high volume-capable compound semiconductor-based process for high-performance photovoltaic (PV) cells.
Under the terms of a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA), NREL's s knowledge and innovation experience with solar technology will be combined with RFMD's technical expertise in volume manufacturing of compound semiconductors at RFMD's wafer fabrication facilities (fab). RFMD says that the purpose of project is to develop a production capable process technology for high-performance photovoltaic (PV) cells.
RFMD says that the successful execution of the multi-year CRADA is expected to result in the production of PV cells in its high-volume compound semiconductor fabs, as early as calendar year 2012. NREL's multi-junction solar concentrator technology has reportedly demonstrated one of the world's highest reported solar cell conversion efficiencies at 40.8 percent. RFMD says that it and the NREL expect to continue substantial improvements in efficiency.
"Working with RFMD to commercialize PV cells will help us realize our laboratory's mission of developing and commercializing advanced, next-generation energy technologies," said NREL Director Dan Arvizu.
Bob Bruggeworth, president and CEO of RFMD, said, "We expect our expertise and scale will positively impact the market for concentrated photovoltaic cells, and we are proud to support our national efforts related to clean energy."
RFMD News Release DuPont and U.S. Dept. of Energy Partner on Thin Film Solar Program
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 1, 2009...DuPont reports that it is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy on a $9 million solar research program. The funding for the program comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed earlier this year with the support of U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman.
DuPont will provide $6 million and the DOE will contribute $3 million to the program.
DuPont is one of about 25 technology companies nationwide receiving Recovery Act grants totalling $22 million to research or demonstrate photovoltaic projects. The federal agency's goal is for the solar technology to contribute equally to the power grid by 2015.
According to Dupont, the three-year program is designed to accelerate commercialization of an ultra-thin protective film that the company boasts is more than 3,000 times thinner than a human hair. The protective film prevents moisture from degrading the performance of thin-film PV modules such as copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS).
According to the company, the first focus of the program is on CIGS thin-film PV modules, however, the technology could be leveraged into other PV technologies and potentially into other industries.
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