News

15 December 2006

 

Nanosolar selects manufacturing sites in California and Germany

Nanosolar Inc of Palo Alto, CA, USA, founded in 2002 to develop copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells, has selected a former Cisco manufacturing facility in San Jose, CA and a facility in Luckenwalde in the Berlin capital region, Germany as its manufacturing sites for solar cells and solar panels, respectively. Comprising up to 647,000 square feet of space collectively, the facilities will also accommodate R&D and the company’s regional headquarters.

Nanosolar says that the Mayor of San Jose, the city’s economic development team, and PG&E Corp of San Francisco, CA (the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company) played a key role in keeping it in the state of California and attracting it to San Jose. The company is “deeply grateful for the fantastic support provided,” said CEO Martin Roscheisen. Roscheisen also thanked the Mayor of Luckenwalde, Berlin’s Secretary of Commerce, and the Minister of Economy of the state of Brandenburg for support. “We are looking forward to a successful partnership with the region,” he added.

In June Nanosolar completed a $75m Series C round of financing, which, together with government factory subsidies, brought its total cash position to just above $100m. In August it signed a long-term agreement with US-based renewable energy system supplier Conergy group to develop large-scale photovoltaic systems.

Nanosolar is building manufacturing operations and is on schedule to start commercial production in 2007, using its proprietary nanoparticle ink and fast roll-printing technology. The company expects ultimate annual capacities of about 200 million solar cells (producing 430MW) for the San Jose plant and more than 1 million solar panels for the Berlin site.

* Nanosolar and Flisom chosen as Technology Pioneers 2007

Out of 225 firms nominated by the world’s leading venture capital and technology companies, a panel of technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum has selected 47 visionary companies as Technology Pioneers 2007. The 15 in the ‘Energy’ category include both NanoSolar and Flisom AG, which was spun off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) by CEO Anil Sethi in 2005. Flisom produces flexible CIGS-based thin-film solar cells on polymer (plastic) foil using low-cost roll-to-roll manufacturing technology. Flisom is the first Swiss company to obtain this recognition.

To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology, and have potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show the signs of being a long-standing market leader – and its technology must be proven.


Visit Nanosolar: http://www.nanosolar.com

Visit Flisom: http://www.flisom.ch