The economy clouds solar’s skies
For a while, it seemed that the solar power sector would weather the downturn fairly unscathed — but it hasn’t been so lucky, at least in the short run. Not only has venture capital dried up for experimental technology startups, but fewer and fewer homeowners are able to afford upgrades like rooftop solar panels, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The frozen credit market has only made matters worse, stalling capital projects — like utility-scale… Continue Reading
Ausra lowers sights on solar plants, cuts staff
Solar energy company Ausra announced that it no longer plans to build massive solar thermal plants across the southwest and California desert due to poor economic conditions, shifting its focus to smaller-scale power generation plants. To weather the downturn, the Palo Alto, Calif. firm is also placing more emphasis on selling its technology and equipment assets to utilities and related companies.
For most of 2008, Ausra was working on solar plants costing up to $1 billion,… Continue Reading
Innovalight rakes in $5M for solar cell ink
Investors Leader Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank have shined on solar cell company Innovalight, providing $5 million in new financing toward the development of silicon solar modules so small they can be painted onto surfaces like ink.
The Sunnyvale, Calif. company uses liquid processing of silicon to produce nanosize solar prarticles that are not only more efficient than crystalline wafers, but also much cheaper to make than regular solar panels. It received $28 million last year… Continue Reading
HelioVolt hopes for a fast scale-up with high-efficiency CIGS process
updated, with correction
These are heady times for the thin-film solar industry. The sector’s dominant player, First Solar, has been on a tear of late, recently announcing it would build a second 10 megawatt power plant in Nevada, while Miasole, once thought to be ailing, has staged an impressive comeback, raking in an eye-popping $220 million. Nanosolar has developed a new ultra-fast solar cell printer, and even giants like IBM and Applied Materials have gotten in… Continue Reading
Duke Energy invests $100M in rooftop solar projects
Duke Energy — hardly your conventional renewable energy startup — has thrown its hat in the solar ring with a $100 million investment in commercial-scale rooftop solar panels.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, based electric utility will partner with commercial and residential property owners to tap into a growing market that has seen large investments in recent months from major utilities like Southern California Edison, which unveiled its own $875 million rooftop project in late March.
Like SCE,… Continue Reading
HelioVolt claims CIGS thin film efficiency record
HelioVolt CEO BJ Stanbery is set to announce that his company has set a new speed record for CIGS conversion efficiency, ratcheting up the pressure in the competitive, high-stakes thin-film solar cell sector. The Austin, Texas, start-up, which raked in a cool $101 million in second round funding last October, claims its proprietary FASST reactive transfer printing process can produce cells with a 12.2% conversion efficiency in a mere 6 minutes.
This latest technological breakthrough comes… Continue Reading
Solar CIGS production to pick up — HelioVolt building plant in Austin
updated
A day after Silicon Valley solar cell company Nanosolar said it has begun manufacturing and sales of its solar cells, rival HelioVolt declared it too is building a solar cell production plant, in its hometown of Austin, Texas.
Both companies are competing to build cells from material called copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), which they hope will lower the cost of solar cells dramatically, compared to the dominant material today: expensive silicon.
The timing of the announcement… Continue Reading
HelioVolt raises $101M — biggest solar investment yet?
HelioVolt, one of about ten companies racing to produce solar power cells based new cheaper material than traditional silicon, has raised $24 million more in financing for a its second round.
This brings the Austin, Texas’ company’s total second round to a huge $101 million, making it the largest clean-tech venture capital financing on record — or at least that we’re aware of. The company raised $77 million in August.
The funding comes at a time when… Continue Reading
HelioVolt grabs $77M more for solar tech — despite hiccups in CIGS
updated
Solar cell manufacturer HelioVolt Corp. has raised $77 million in a second round of financing, despite the setbacks seen at a number of other companies using the same “CIGS” technology.
Tech Confidential reports the news here.
Update: This morning, VentureWire (subscription only) has followed and notes the round’s investors: Abu Dhabi’s government-affiliated Masdar Clean Tech Fund and U.S.-based Paladin Capital Group led the round for the Austin, Tex. company. Also participating were Solucar Energias, the solar subsidiary… Continue Reading
Miasole, the super thin solar cell co., raises $35M more
Miasole, the Santa Clara start-up which makes super thin solar cell technology, has raised $35 million more in venture capital.
VentureWire has the scoop today (sub required). Miasole is one of a handful of players producing solar technology based on CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenium) and other new materials. CIGS allows the production of a paint-like product that is much more flexible than the traditional silicon, allowing it to be used in more areas, and potentially… Continue Reading