Solar Frontier announced an agreement to jointly develop thin film solar cell technology with IBM (NYSE: IBM) based on the elements copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, and selenium (CZTS).
Solar Frontier, which is owned by the Japanese firm Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K (5002.T), currently makes thin film solar cells containing copper, indium,
selenium, gallium, and sulfur (CIGS).
IBM and Solar Frontier will collaborate to expand upon IBM’s innovations in CZTS. In February, IBM announced record results of 9.6% efficient solar cells using CZTS material, a 40% efficiency increase over previous CZTS solar cells.
The research for this joint development program will mainly take place
at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.
Taiwan’s DelSolar Co., Ltd has also recently partnered with IBM to developing this technology, which uses elements that are more abundant and less toxic than competing thin film technologies CdTe and CIGS.
Solar Frontier currently has two manufacturing facilities with a third facility that will become operational in 2011. At 900 MW, the third plant is expected to be the world’s largest photovoltaic production facility. This will bring Solar Frontier’s total photovoltaic device manufacturing output to 1 gigawatt of production; expected to be the largest CIS photovoltaic capacity in the world. Last week Solar Frontier announced a deal to supply GE (NYSE: GE) with GE-branded CIGS panels.
“We are interested in exploring CZTS for its evolutionary compatibility with our CIS thin film technology. The goals of the project correspond with Solar Frontier’s mission to combine both economical and ecological solar energy solutions,” said Satoru Kuriyagawa, Solar Frontier’s Chief Technology Officer.
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