SoloPower Systems Inc. technology is used to create ultra-lightweight,

thin-film A thin film is a layer of materials ranging from fractions of a nanometer (monolayer) to several micrometers in thickness. The controlled synthesis of materials as thin films (a process referred to as deposition) is a fundamental step in many a ...

, flexible

Solar Panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

, based on CIGS (

Copper indium gallium selenide Copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) is a I- III- VI2 semiconductor material composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. The material is a solid solution of copper indium selenide (often abbreviated "CIS") and copper gallium selenide. ...

). Originally developed by San Jose, California-based Solopower Inc., the technology is now owned by Solopower Systems Inc., a solar panel development & manufacturing company based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, Oregon. SoloPower technology features an electroplating process that utilizes nearly 100% of its materials to manufacture its CIGS cells.

Company history

SoloPower SoloPower was a solar energy company developing and manufacturing Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film flexible Photo-voltaic Solar Panels. The company used a special electroplating technology to utilize nearly 100% of its materials. ...

technology was created by SoloPower Inc., founded by Bulent Basol and Homayoun Talieh in 2005, which began a pilot manufacturing line for SoloPower solar panels in December of that same year. In February 2011, the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...

conditionally approved a $197 million Federal

Loan Guarantee A loan guarantee, in finance, is a promise by one party (the guarantor) to assume the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. A guarantee can be limited or unlimited, making the guarantor liable for only a portion or all of the ...

to the company to help it build and equip a high-volume manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. By the time the plant was completed in early 2013, however, the company opted to finance the project with private rather than public funds. In 2012, SoloPower Panels became the first CIGS flexible solar panels to obtain both UL and IEC Certification. In March 2012, Solopower Modules also set a world record aperture efficiency for flexible CIGS Solar Panels of 13.4%, as measured by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (

NREL The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and ...

), and in May 2012, SoloPower technology was announced a winner of the 2012 TiE50 award in the category of

Renewable Energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

.TiE Silicon Valley Announces TiE50 2012 Winners World's 50 Hottest Startups Honored at TiEcon 2012
/ref> In April, 2013, following a sharp downturn in market conditions – caused largely by shrinking government investment and stiff competition from low-cost foreign producers – SoloPower Inc. announced plans to close its pilot plant in San Jose, California, and temporarily suspended operations at its Portland plant; however, in the summer of 2017, the Oregon Department of Energy paid $641,835 in Solopower's rent in Oregon. Subsequently, in July 2013, the company’s major creditors transferred the SoloPower technology to a new entity named Solopower Systems Inc., with plans to begin commercially producing Solopower Panels in the summer of 2014.

Funding

Lead investors in the development of SoloPower technology - Hudson Capital Management, Firsthand Technology Value Fund, Crosslink Capital, and Convexa Capital Ventures - have invested some $200 million over the period. The technology has also received the benefit of loans from the

Oregon Department of Energy The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) was established in 1975 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly as the culmination of recommendations of several task forces and study groups over several years. The state agency helps Oregonians make informed dec ...

(which also paid for rent in 2017) and the

California Energy Commission The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and energy planning, planning Government agency, agency for California. Created in 1974 and headquartered in S ...

, and other state tax incentives.

References

External links

SoloPower company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solopower Solar energy companies of the United States Photovoltaics manufacturers Thin-film cell manufacturers Technology companies of the United States Companies based in Portland, Oregon Energy companies established in 2005 Renewable resource companies established in 2005 Technology companies established in 2005 2005 establishments in California Energy companies established in 2013 Renewable resource companies established in 2013 2013 establishments in Oregon American brands American companies established in 2005 American companies established in 2013

Company history

Funding

See also

References

External links