Timminco Limited (TSX:TIM) subsidiary, Becancour Silicon Inc. (BSI), has signed an agreement to supply solar grade silicon, or upgraded metallurgical silicon (UMG Si), to CaliSolar of Sunnyvale, California.
The agreement provides for shipments of approximately 1,700 metric tons through December 2012. Initial shipments will begin in the 3Q08.
"CaliSolar, using BSI’s UMG Si, has made a major breakthrough in photovoltaic (PV) technology," said Dr. Eicke Weber, a CaliSolar founder and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany. "The impact of UMG Si in this important, rapidly expanding market can hardly be overstated. By 2015, half of the world’s PV production could be based on the use of UMG Si."
"In their search for a solar grade silicon supplier, CaliSolar has done extensive tests with materials from many UMG Si producers and obtained cell efficiencies over 15% with our product." said Mr. Rene Boisvert, President and CEO of BSI. "This agreement to supply CaliSolar is consistent with our strategy of supplying solar grade silicon to companies with the capability to produce solar cells with our material with efficiencies similar to cells produced with polysilicon."
"When CaliSolar was founded two years ago, the mission of the company was to develop specific technologies to make highly efficient solar cells using 100% UMG Si," said Roy Johnson, CEO of CaliSolar. "This contract with BSI allows CaliSolar to introduce a very competitive product during the third quarter of this year."
ABOUT TIMMINCO
Timminco is a leader in the production and marketing of lightweight metals, specializing in solar grade silicon for the rapidly growing solar photovoltaic energy industry. Using its proprietary technology, Timminco processes metallurgical grade silicon into low cost solar grade silicon for use in the manufacture of solar cells. Timminco also produces silicon metal, magnesium extrusions and other specialty metals for use in a broad range of industrial applications serving the aluminum, chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics and automotive industries.
ABOUT CALISOLAR:
CaliSolar is a rapidly growing private company engaged in the development and manufacturing of high efficiency solar cells using 100% UMG Si. The company is incorporated in the USA and conducts its production operations in both USA and Germany. CaliSolar has a state of the art development center, BerlinSolar GmbH, based in Berlin Germany and headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA. The company was founded in 2006 by Dr. Kamel Ounadjela, Dr. Fritz Kirscht and Dr. Eicke Weber.
Loading...