All About Solar |Green Energy News

March 26, 2006 – Vol.11 No.1

All ABOUT SOLAR.

This week’s news...

With an alleged shortage of polysilicon from which to make solar cells, solar companies have been pushing forward with plans to move beyond silicon solar or find ways to use considerably less of it in solar cell manufacture. The global demand for solar energy is high. Companies need to be able to meet demand or customers may stray.

Schott has announced plans to invest $72 million (EUR 60 million) to build a 30-megawatt per year production facility in Jena, Germany for thin film solar modules. The facility will be rushed to completion and ready for operation by the fall of 2007. The new facility will create 160 new jobs.

The amorphous silicon thin-film technology used at the plant will employ silicon vapor deposited on glass which, according to Schott, uses much less raw silicon than other silicon technologies.

Schott uses the thin-film silicon-on-glass solar modules for building integrated solar glazing applications for roofing, windows, skylights, facades and sunshades. The products, which Schott calls ASI (amorphous silicon), allow light to penetrate a building through the module while generating solar electricity. Small ASI solar modules could also be used for solar powered consumer electronics like solar powered watches as well they say. Visit Scott Solar at http://www.schott.com/solar