News Article
Spire and Solartech Renewables seal deal on PV modules
The aim is to improve efficiency by replacing traditional crystalline silicon-based solar panels with thin film products
Compound semiconductor epitaxy foundry Spire, will provide a new PV module manufacturing line to New York based firm Solartech Renewables which specialize in advanced photovoltaic panels.
Photovoltaics (PVs) are cell arrays which convert solar radiation to DC electricity and materials used in their manufacture include CdTe.
These thin film products are currently not as efficient as their traditional crystalline silicon-based counterparts as the panel sizes need to be far greater to provide the same power. The advantage is that they offer a considerable cost reduction as they utilize a semiconductor gas rather than costly solar grade silicon to deposit a thin film of semiconductor material on the glass panel.
The Solartech factory will create up to 100 fulltime jobs and Roger Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation stated "Solartech is responding to the need for more U.S. based manufacturing for PV modules."
He added "With the federal and state incentives for PV systems now in place, the U.S. market has become the fastest growing in the world. It is projected to be more than two gigawatts by 2011, with as much as a one gigawatt shortfall of U.S. based manufacturing."
Photovoltaics (PVs) are cell arrays which convert solar radiation to DC electricity and materials used in their manufacture include CdTe.
These thin film products are currently not as efficient as their traditional crystalline silicon-based counterparts as the panel sizes need to be far greater to provide the same power. The advantage is that they offer a considerable cost reduction as they utilize a semiconductor gas rather than costly solar grade silicon to deposit a thin film of semiconductor material on the glass panel.
The Solartech factory will create up to 100 fulltime jobs and Roger Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation stated "Solartech is responding to the need for more U.S. based manufacturing for PV modules."
He added "With the federal and state incentives for PV systems now in place, the U.S. market has become the fastest growing in the world. It is projected to be more than two gigawatts by 2011, with as much as a one gigawatt shortfall of U.S. based manufacturing."
