Near the beginning of the decade, several solar start-ups set out to disrupt the solar power industry by producing a new generation of thin-film solar cells that were vastly cheaper to make than the incumbent silicon cell technology.
Now, many of those thin-film solar companies are in a race for their survival, according to a report published today.
Lux Research did an analysis of the competing solar cell technologies and found that polycrystalline silicon, the material used for about 80 percent of solar cells, continues to have staying power as prices decline and efficiencies improve.
Retail juggernaut Wal-Mart is using panels from First Solar and MiaSole in what is expected to be one of the largest business installations of thin-film solar technology.
Wal-Mart on Monday said that it is adding solar panels at between 20 and 30 store locations in California and Arizona, building on the 31 stores in California and Hawaii already equipped with on-site solar. The majority of the new installations will use thin-film solar panels, a technology a number of companies are developing to undercut traditional silicon cells on price.
First Solar's cadmium telluride panels have been available for years and … Read more
SoloPower said Tuesday that it has received UL certification for its flexible solar modules, helping the thin-film solar products compete against the incumbent solar technology.
San Jose, Calif.-based SoloPower said that the certification from Underwriters Laboratories is the first for a company making flexible modules from a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS).
The flexible solar modules are designed for commercial rooftops where they can be rolled out and attached to roofs without racking systems. Thin-film solar cells are generally less efficient than traditional polycrystalline silicon material, but SoloPower and other thin-film companies say that their installation … Read more
Glue may be the magic ingredient to making solar power cheaper.
Solar company Global Solar on Tuesday introduced a line of flexible solar modules that are designed for flat commercial rooftop buildings.
Rather than install racking systems to hold heavy glass-covered solar panels, the company's PowerFlex BIPV modules can be adhered onto a roof or built right into roofing materials. The modules are quicker to installer, lighter, and don't require any penetrations into the roof, according to the company.
The installed cost of Global Solar modules is about the same as traditional polycrystalline silicon panels with racks, said … Read more
SoloPower, one of many companies vying to lower the cost of solar energy, introduced on Monday a line of flexible panels for commercial rooftops.
The company makes thin-film solar cells from a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) which is placed on a flexible foil. Its first product line is a set of solar panels designed for the flat roofs of commercial buildings.
The panels are lighter than glass-encased panels and can be installed quicker than other technologies, SoloPower CEO Tim Harris said in a statement. The panels can be laminated onto rooftops and mounted on racks to … Read more
First Solar, the world's largest thin-film solar panel producer, has set up a Silicon Valley lab for a thin-film technology with the potential for higher efficiency at a lower cost, sources said.
A big move toward panels based on CIGS, or copper indium gallium diselenide, technology would mark a major shift for First Solar into an area pioneered by others and would also lend support to critics who see limited room to improve the efficiency of the company's current cadmium telluride panels.
The company has said its cad-tel panels can exceed 11 percent efficiency in converting sunlight to electricity, and it aims to improve that further.
First Solar acknowledged on Thursday it has a small research and development unit in Silicon Valley but declined to comment further.
The Arizona-based company made a name for itself with these thin-film panels that are less efficient than standard panels based on computer processor-style silicon semiconductors, but are much cheaper to produce per watt of output.
CIGS offers the hope of cheap thin-film production costs with efficiency near the best of silicon solar cells, which can be as high as 20 percent.
First Solar, which has never discussed its Silicon Valley operations publicly, has had a research and development unit there for a couple of years, five industry sources with knowledge of the operation said.
The company is looking at low-cost processes to manufacture CIGS panels, one of the people said, though two other sources said the CIGS research appears to be in its initial stages. … Read more
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalist last decade tried to take the solar industry by storm with cheap thin-film solar. But after billions of dollars invested, many start-ups are struggling to commercialize their technology.
Applied Quantum Technology is yet another thin-film upstart that is betting on the same core solar technology--cells made from a combination of copper, indium, selenium, and selenide (CIGS)--but is taking a different approach.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company on Wednesday announced that it has raised $10 million from STPV Holdings, its series A funder, and an undisclosed investor. It also said it has a … Read more
In a sign of optimism about the stock market's reception to clean energy start-ups, California solar company Solyndra on Friday filed documents to go public.
The Fremont, Calif.-based company said it plans to raise $300 million in a public stock offering to expand into a market it projects to grow at 34 percent annually.
Four-year-old Solyndra makes a very specialized solar module designed for flat commercial rooftops. The system, which looks like long rows of black tubes, uses flexible thin-film solar cells shaped as a half cylinder to generate electricity from sunlight. The shape increases the amount of … Read more
Correction, 12:55 p.m. PDT March 19: Global Solar is not technically a subsidiary of Solon as was suggested by the analyst. According to Global Solar, Solon acquired a 19 percent stake in 2006. The remaining 81 percent is owned by a European venture capital investor.
One year ago, silicon, the most common material used in making solar panels, could not be supplied fast enough. It gave an opening to many new solar tech start-ups looking to pick up venture capitalist interest and cash.
Borrego Solar Systems, a manufacturer of a solar power systems that can connect to electrical grids, received $14 million in venture funding on Wednesday.
The money will go toward the company's expansion already under way to bring more solar installations to the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., according to the company. Borrego Solar recently opened offices in Boston.
The deal itself could be a sign that green capitalists are taking a more conservative approach to investment, not only in terms of business management but also in terms of the type of technology they're willing to take a … Read more
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