Thursday, March 26, 2009
Solar cell ingot manufacturer Solaicx has developed its own manufacturing process for wafers used in solar panels. The result, it claims, is much higher solar conversion efficiencies. Solaicx's efforts to differentiate itself from traditional manufacturers of silicon ingots for solar applications has resulted in its receiving the Progressive Manufacturing 100 award for its proprietary manufacturing process. The process for crystalline silicon photovoltaics was cited for consistently high efficiency. The company's Progressive Manufacturing Award was in the "Innovation Mastery" category.
BOTTOM LINE: The world's only silicon ingot maker whose process is optimized for solar has raised the bar for solar cell makers who can make more efficient panels using wafers cut from their ingots at the same price as "graded" ingots from traditional silicon growers. The patented process could propel Solaicx to the forefront of the solar industry once the economy is back on track. Solaicx had originally planned to increase its capacity from 60 megaWatts to 300 megaWatts by the end of 2009, but in the dismal economy has pushed that back to 2010. Nevertheless, the company has a bright future by virtue of its proprietary process that produces superior solar cells at no price premium.
Posted by R. Colin Johnson at 7:34 AM