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High concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar module manufacturing start-up, Semprius is officially opening its first production plant today. The company said that it has employed proprietary manufacturing process to produce modules with record conversion efficiencies of 33.9%.
"The highly anticipated opening of this new facility has significant implications for the future of renewable energy," said Carr. "It's a major milestone for Semprius, and we're very proud of our team and our public and private partners that have helped us bring it in on time and on budget. With production ramped up, we will be able to effectively service our customers, including companies like Siemens and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne."
The HCPV technology was co-developed with U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), using Semprius' proprietary micro-transfer printing process. The process is claimed to enable the use of the world's smallest solar cell - approximately the size of a pencil point - to manufacture modules that are claimed to offer ‘unmatched performance and cost advantages.’ After the microcells are fabricated, Semprius uses industry-standard surface-mount technology (SMT) processes to assemble them onto a backplane.
Semprius said that there were plans to hire more than 250 workers over the next several years as the company prepares to ramp production.
