All About Solar | Green Energy News

September 3, 2006 - Vol. 11 No. 24

ALL ABOUT SOLAR.

This week’s news.

Supply, not demand, is slowing the growth of solar energy. Fortunately a new source of silicon to make solar cells is now shipping from Dow Corning.

Dow Corning calls its new solar-grade silicon feedstock a breakthrough solar material - one that can change the course of the solar industry. Though Dow isn’t specific in its description of its proprietary process to make more solar grade silicon (or SoG), the company does say that its product PV1101 is one of the most innovative technologies to come along in the solar industry since the manufacture of the first silicon solar cells.

Typically the supply of polysilicon to make solar cells has been from the semiconductor industry, but PV1101 is the first silicon derived from metallurgical silicon specifically for the solar industry. The product, the company says, has good solar cell performance characteristics when blended with traditional feedstocks and is now being made in a large scale manufacturing process.

Dow also says that the new solar grade silicon will offer new technical and business options for the solar industry, but Dow, again, isn’t specific what those are.

The company worked with several solar manufacturers to develop the product and began bulk production of it this past summer with shipments to customers in August.

As part ot its Solar Solutions group Dow Corning also operates Hemlock Semiconductor, the world’s largest supplier of conventional polycrystalline silicon. Visit Dow Corning Solar Solutions at http://www.dowcorning.com/solar.