News

5 January 2007

 

Solar Thin Films collaborates with RESI to develop CIGS PV manufacturing equipment

Solar Thin Films Inc (STF) of Somers, NY, USA has signed a three-year R&D agreement for Renewable Energy Solutions Inc (RESI) of Ewing, NJ, USA to develop next-generation manufacturing equipment for copper indium gallium
selenide (CIGS)-based PV modules.

STF changed its name from American United Global Inc in July 2006 to reflect its new focus on photovoltaics after acquiring Kraft Rt of Budapest, Hungary (now the majority-owned subsidiary Kraft Electronics zRt), which makes
equipment for manufacturing thin-film-based PV modules (mainly amorphous silicon-based).

RESI was founded in 2001 as Terra Solar Development Corp (TSDC) and develops thin-film PV device fabrication processes and manufacturing technology (as well as hydrogen storage using nanomaterials, fluorescent enhancement panels, and betavoltaics). Dr Zoltan Kiss, a director, consultant and significant shareholder of STF, is also a shareholder, director and chief technical officer of RESI.

"STF plans to introduce module manufacturing equipment to produce the next generation that will be more efficient and lower-cost thin-film CIGS-based PV modules on a glass substrate," says STF's CEO Csaba Toro. The firm's goal
is to offer CIGS manufacturing equipment for sale during the 2007 fiscal year and to provide turnkey facilities for CIGS-based thin-film PV modules.

In a parallel development, STF is participating with RESI in providing a contract proposal responding to the Solar America Initiative (SAI) for a three-year optimization of the CIGS technology currently held by RESI. The main US governmental and university institutions, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratories), IEC (Institute of Energy Conversion), and PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) are also participating in the proposal. STF's contribution is the development of a tunnel valve separating two different vacuum zones in the CIGS manufacturing equipment. SAI is expected to advise if it has accepted the proposal in mid-2007.

Visit: http://www.resi-usa.com