SoloPower
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Solar Energy |
Founded | 2005 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tim Harris (CEO) Ryan Benton (CFO) |
Products | Solar panels |
Website | solopower.com |
SoloPower is a solar energy company developing and manufacturing Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) Thin-film flexible Photo-voltaic Solar Panels. The company uses a special electroplating technology to utilize nearly 100% of its materials.[1]
SoloPower is based in San Jose, California, and has achieved the distinction of being the first company to obtain UL Certification of CIGS flexible solar panels in 2010.[2] This was lauded as a significant achievement by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[3] Later the same year, the company also received IEC Certification (IEC 61646 and 61730) of its flexible CIGS solar panels, again an industry first.[4] In March 2012, the company's modules set a world record aperture efficiency of 13.4% for flexible CIGS Solar Panels, as measured by NREL.[5]
Company history
SoloPower was founded by Bulent Basol and Homayoun Talieh in 2005.[6] The company started its pilot manufacturing line in December of the same year.[7]
In 2010, SoloPower held talks with the town of Wilsonville, Oregon to set up a manufacturing plant there. In 2011, the United States Department of Energy approved a $197 Million Loan Guarantee to the company, enabling a 400MW manufacturing plant in Oregon.[8] In May 2011, SoloPower decided to move the manufacturing facility to Portland instead.[9] In April, 2013, SoloPower announced plans to suspend operations at the Portland plant and gut the remaining workforce.[10]
SoloPower was announced a winner of the 2012 TiE50 award in the category of Clean Energy.[11][12]
Funding
The Norwegian firms Convexa Capital, Spencer Energy and Scatec have invested approximately $30 Million into SoloPower in 2007.[13] The United States Department of Energy has also funded the company.[14] In early 2011, the company received $13.5 Million from Crosslink Capital.[15] Lead investors in the company include Hudson Clean Energy Partners, Crosslink Capital, Convexa, and Firsthand.[16]
See also
References
- ^ "Our Difference - SoloPower®". Solopower.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower trumpets certification for flexible solar modules". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ SoloPower, Inc. (7 September 2010). "SoloPower Is First Ever to Receive UL Certification for a Flexible CIGS... -- SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ --". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower earns pair of IEC certifications for flexible CIGS thin-film PV module". Pv-tech.org. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived March 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [2] Archived April 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Corporate - SoloPower®". Solopower.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Ehren Goossens (17 February 2011). "U.S. Offers $197 Million Loan Guarantee for SoloPower Plant in Oregon". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower to announce plans for $340 million North Portland solar panel plant". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower moves to power down Portland factory, gut remaining workforce". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower Receives TiE50 Award in Energy and Cleantech". Pv.energytrend.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ [3] Archived August 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110405074721/http://www.solopower.com/red_herring_071207.html. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
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suggested) (help) - ^ [4] Archived April 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Flexible solar panel maker SoloPower raises $13.5M". VentureBeat. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "SoloPower Sets Record for Flexible CIGS Solar Panel Efficiency". Eon.businesswire.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
External links
- Solar energy companies of the United States
- Photovoltaics manufacturers
- Thin-film cell manufacturers
- Manufacturing companies based in San Jose, California
- Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Energy companies established in 2005
- Manufacturing companies established in 2005
- Renewable resource companies established in 2005
- 2005 establishments in California