Siva Power wins US$3 million DOE deal to demonstrate low-cost CIGS thin-film ideas

January 23, 2015
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The US Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative is providing CIGS thin-film start-up Siva Power with US$3 million in funding as part of the program to bring novel and highly innovative ideas to commercialisation. 

Siva, led by semiconductor equipment industry pioneer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Brad Mattson and CIGS guru Dr. Markus Beck its CTO have extensively modelled a 300MW single production line that is claimed to have US$0.40/W production costs within the first year of operation, and scale to US$0.28/W two years after that.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The DOE funds were said to be used to actually demonstrate a CIGS co-evaporation source with 12x higher manufacturing throughput (m2/min) than currently available sources. This is seen as key to enabling a fully automated CIGS deposition system at a 3x reduction in capital expenditure, labour, and overall overhead costs per watt. 

“There are two parts to the solution,” said Dr. Markus Beck, Siva Power CTO. “You need to have the right technology, but also the right processes to enable the efficient scaling of product in order to make a huge difference in the solar industry. I dedicated my career to seeing CIGS make it, and now we have the team and support to make it happen.”

A third part to the solution perhaps would be sufficient capital at low cost to effectively ramp and operate a CIGS thin-film line at a 300MW throughput. 

Read Next

October 22, 2025
Recurrent Energy, Ampliform and Dimension Energy have announced new financing rounds this month for US solar projects.
Sponsored
October 22, 2025
LONGi vice president Dennis She discusses the value logic behind the company's strategic focus on back contact technology.
October 22, 2025
Leeward Renewable Energy has started commercial operations at its 177MW Ridgely solar project in the US state of Tennessee.
October 22, 2025
Utility giant Engie has signed a 15-year renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) with tech giant Apple in Italy.
October 22, 2025
US thin-film manufacturer First has revealed another transfer of its 45X manufacturing tax credits in a deal worth around US$750 million.
October 22, 2025
Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of US trade association the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), has decided to step down from her roles at the end of January 2026.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany