Silicon manufacturer Dow Corning and start-up Crystal Solar have announced a business relationship to develop high-performance silicon-based materials for PV cells and modules.
The two companies also plan to jointly develop new products for building-integrated PV applications.
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Dow Corning said it would help Crystal Solar further develop its ultra-thin silicon technology, providing the company with access to its materials and silicon supply chain expertise.
Crystal solar claims its ‘direct gas to wafer’ process enables it to develop ultra-thin silicon wafers that offer greater efficiency at lower costs to its rivals.
Dan Futter, Vice-President of Solar Solutions at Dow Corning, said: “At Dow Corning we believe that innovative materials are key to addressing the industry’s challenge to drive down costs, enhance system performance, and help make solar more competitive with traditional energy sources.
“The excellent quality and reputation of our high performance building business is a natural fit to enable leading-edge innovation with reduced risk in the BIPV space.”
“We are very pleased to be working with Dow Corning on a broad-based framework to make high-efficiency solar panels at costs below $0.50/W in production,” said T.S. Ravi, Crystal Solar’s CEO.