German solar cell producer Q-Cells AG, (QCE.F) the world's largest producer of solar cells, announced plans to build a production complex for thin-film solar modules in Mexico.

The company has reached an agreement with the Mexican Federal Government, the Government of the State of Baja California and Silicon Border Development--a developer of industrial parks for high-tech-companies--to build a facility in Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California, close to the US border.

Q-Cells expect to achieve a better access to the American growth markets and hedge against currency fluctuations.

The agreement implies that Q-Cells will invest up to $3.5 billion in the mid to long term. The expansion plans are contingent upon the development of the photovoltaics markets in the US, Mexico and Latin America, that will be supplied from Mexicali.

Optical Film Maker Efun Diversifies into Solar Cell Industry

Taiwan-based optical film maker Efun Technology is diversifying into the photovoltaic (PV) industry by investing in a thin film solar cell company, whose initial target capacity is 40MWp by 2010, according to Efun.

Efun said the solar cell company, "Pa Yang" (transliterated from Chinese), will complete equipment installation in the fourth quarter of 2008. Efun holds a one-third stake in Pa Yang.

Pa Yang's operations will be enabled by Efun's already established connections in the upstream and downstream sectors, Efun said, adding Pa Yang aims to expand its capacity to 80MWp by 2011, and 350MWp by 2014.

SVTC Technologies Gets Home in California

The San Jose Redevelopment Agency gave the OK on Tuesday to give $100,000 to the fourth solar company to call Edenvale Technology Park home. San Jose-based semiconductor development foundry SVTC Technologies LLC signed a lease April 28 for 87,000 square feet in a building owned by the Guggenheim Trust.

The agency voted unanimously in June to give SVTC $100,000 to purchase manufacturing equipment, and the city's Office of Economic Development will pursue $100,000 in state Employment Training Panel funds to help SVTC train its work force.

A new business unit of SVTC -- SVTC Solar -- will provide services to solar manufacturers from the facility.

Those customers will be able to use the facility's equipment to produce solar photovoltaics, which will reduce the cost and the time to market for solar companies, said Kurt Laetz, SVTC's managing director of strategic marketing. The facility can handle 30 simultaneous projects, he said.

SVTC will join solar manufacturing companies Nanosolar Inc., SoloPower Inc. and Stion Corp. in the Edenvale Technology Park, where the San Jose Redevelopment Agency has worked to fill vacant buildings with manufacturing and cleantech companies.

SVTC Solar will employ at least 60 people in the next two years, and customers are expected to create at least 120 engineering and support positions in the facility, Laetz said.

Company officials say they have already constructed a 30,000-square-foot cleanroom and 20,000-square-foot lab. SVTC plans to hold a grand opening in the summer.

Photovoltaic equipment maker Roth & Rau AG of Germany will install a five-megawatt capacity line at the center to develop and manufacture silicon wafer solar cells, according to a release from the city.

Laetz said SVTC was already working with a few solar companies to use semiconductor equipment at the SVTC location on First Street but there were so many requests that the company needed a dedicated solar facility.

SVTC spun off from Cypress Semiconductor Corp. in March 2007 and merged with Austin, Texas-based ATDF in December.

Abu Dhabi Taps Applied to Build Thin Film Solar Lines

As part of its Masdar Initiative; Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. has expanded its investment in solar energy with the purchase of three SunFab thin film lines from Applied Materials for solar module production.

With an optional tandem junction upgrade, the SunFab lines are expected to annually produce modules with a targeted capacity of up to 210MW, or enough energy to power approximately 70,000 homes.

The Applied SunFab Line is an integrated production line for manufacturing thin film silicon solar modules using ultra-large 5.7m² glass panels. Suited for utility-scale applications, the 2.2m x 2.6m panels can reduce installation cost by over 17 percent compared to smaller scale thin film panels.

One of the SunFab lines to be supplied by Applied will be located in Erfurt, Germany, and is expected to start up in 2H 09. The other two lines will be located in Abu Dhabi and United Arab Emirates, and are expected to start up in early 2010. These lines will help supply solar power to Masdar City, the world's first zero carbon, zero waste city, designed to be fully powered by renewable energy, and also will help support the broader global need for clean sources of energy.

Bosch Purchases Stake in German Solar Cell Firm ersol Solar Energy

Robert Bosch GmbH announced it will purchase a majority stake in German silicon solar cells provider ersol Solar Energy AG, for Rs.3,401.79 crore ($850 million) ideal.

Bosch has signed an agreement with financial investor Ventizz to buy 50.45 per cent of ersol, a deal aimed at expanding its reach renewable energy market.

Wacker Schott Solar Expands

After commissioning a new wafer production facility at the so-called "Jena Site 2" in mid-April, WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH is continuing its production-site expansion. The expansion measures focus on construction of a new crystal-growing facility. The extension is a key component of a EUR370 million investment program aimed at ensuring the announced production-capacity expansion to one gigawatt by 2012. The measure will create 150 new jobs at the site.

Construction work on the new crystal-growing facility is expected to commence in August. In the future, the facility will produce multicrystalline silicon ingots for the manufacture of solar wafers. Silicon wafers sliced from these ingots are the starting material for the production of high-quality solar cells.

As part of the expansion measures, existing so-called "Jena Site 1" production facilities will be renovated. Plans have been under development since 2005 to convert former calcium-fluoride facilities, which have been producing calcium-fluoride crystals for the semiconductor sector for years. Conversion is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Masdar Invest $2 Billion in Solar Facility

Masdar announced a two billion dollar investment in thin-film photovoltaic solar technology, as part of its drive to become a world leader in alternative energy. The total investment of over US$2 billion represents one of the largest investments ever made in solar, and will fund a three-phased manufacturing and expansion strategy to produce the latest generation of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules, the Masdar Initiative reports in a press release. Phase one involves an investment of US$600 million, which will fund the development of two manufacturing facilities the first, in Erfurt (Germany) is to be operational by Q3 2009, and a second facility in Abu Dhabi which is scheduled to begin initial production by Q2 2010. The combined annual production capacity of these two sites due to the Masdar Initiative will be 210 megawatts (MW), which is committed to major PV system installers in Europe and for Masdar’s own energy generation needs. The plants will use the latest generation of equipment capable of high-volume processing of ultra-large glass substrates, which, at 5.7 m2, are eight times larger and five times more powerful than that of the current market leader.

"Masdar chose Germany as the site for its first plant because Germany is currently the center of the global PV industry. This German plant will act as a reference plant for technology and knowledge transfer to the larger Abu Dhabi plant by a joint German-Abu Dhabi team", the Masdar Initiative emphasizes. This approach represents a significant step in Masdar’s objective to transform Abu Dhabi into a developer and exporter of technology, rather than an importer. With a goal of reaching 1 gigawatt of annual production by 2014 through capacity expansions and other new plants, this multi-country operation shall allow Masdar PV to become a global leader in thin-film PV.

The Masdar Initiative is Abu Dhabi’s investment in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design. Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a wholly owned company of the government of Abu Dhabi through the Mubadala Development Company. In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind.

SunPower Expands in Spain

SunPower Corp. a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, announced the completion of two solar-electric power plants in Spain, totaling 8.7 megawatts. The two plants, located in Llerena and Lebrija, were developed by Solarpack, a Spanish company specializing in renewable energy development, investment, consulting and services. Solarpack hosted ceremonies dedicating the two power plants this week. The solar power plant constructed by SunPower in Llerena is 4.8 megawatts; the plant in Lebrija is 3.9 megawatts. In Spain, SunPower has completed or has signed contracts to deliver solar power plants totaling more than 100 megawatts.

Solar Tracker reduces costs and raises solar yield.

For these projects, SunPower used its proprietary SunPower-Tracker technology, which follows the sun during the day, and delivers significantly more energy than traditional fixed-tilt systems. "We utilized our industry-leading SunPower Tracker technology at both of the power plant sites, maximizing energy output, while optimizing land use and reducing related costs", said Marco Antonio Northland, general manager of SunPower's European operations. "We are pleased that the Spanish market continues its rapid adoption of solar power, and that Solarpack chose SunPower to provide innovative turnkey solar solutions."

On June 2nd 2008 SunPower also announced solar electric power systems totaling 132 kilowatts have been installed on the rooftops of two "Bon Preu Esclat" stores located outside of Barcelona, Spain. SunPower dealer SUD Energies Renovables, S.L. of Vic (Barcelona) installed the systems, and reports that they are working with the supermarket chain to install SunPower solar power systems on additional Bon Preu Esclat stores over the next three years. A Bon Preu Esclat store in Piera, Spain received a 55-kilowatt SunPower system, and a 77-kilowatt solar system has been installed atop the Bon Preu Esclat store in Valls. At these locations, SUD Energies Renovables installed SunPower(R) T10 Solar Roof Tiles, which are tilted at a 10-degree angle to increase energy capture, and SunPower(R) 210 solar panels. SunPower panels are up to 50 percent more efficient than conventional panels and up to 100 percent more efficient than thin-film solar panels. These installations for Bon Preu Esclat due to SunPower represent the first set of solar systems in Spain using the SunPower T10 product on a commercial rooftop. In the U.S., the T10 product has been installed on commercial rooftop systems for SunPower customers such as FedEx, Wal-Mart Stores and Microsoft.

Sunfilm Expands with Second Phase

About one year ago, on June 1st 2007, Sunfilm celebrated the Groundbreaking Ceremony with a manual dig for its first production facility FAB 1.in Saxony. Keeping pace with its aggressive building schedule this time a dredger broke the ground for the second production line FAB 2 in order to be as fast and as efficient as possible. As announced previously, Applied Materials, USA will be the supplier of the production equipment for the FAB 2 as well. The new 20.000 m2 (215,200 sq. ft.) manufacturing plant will be completed by Spring of 2009. Pre-Production is scheduled to start in mid 2009 and production will start later that year. When at full capacity in 2010 both plants together will be able to produce 120 MWp of high efficiency tandem junction technology based silicon thin film photovoltaic modules.

The two Sunfilm plants will set a benchmark and be the first of its kind, in which higher efficiency thin film silicon modules will be produced in an ultra-large format of up to 5.7m2. The second production line will create another 200 new workplaces for a wide variety of skills levels including 10 more apprenticeship positions.

ARISE Opens Facility in Germany

ARISE Technologies Corporation (Waterloo, Ontario) which is dedicated to becoming a leader in high-performance, cost-effective solar technology, announced the official opening of its PV (photovoltaic) cell manufacturing plant in Bischofswerda, Germany on Friday, June 6th. "This official opening will give us the opportunity to thank our partners who helped make possible the achievement of bringing this PV cell manufacturing plant from concept to production in the remarkably short time of only 16 months", said Sjouke Zijlstra, vice-president and general manager ARISE Technologies Deutschland GmbH.

Since beginning production on April 17, they have been ramping up production on Line 1 at the plant to the planned annual rate of 35MW, have moved ahead with preparations to bring Line 2 into production in the first quarter of next year to increase the plant’s capacity to 80MW annually, and have begun the planning needed to add a third line in this building.

Q-Cell Opens New Facility in Malaysia

Solar cell manufacturer Q-Cells (Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany) has decided to erect a new production line in Malaysia and to expand the thin film module production in its Calyxo subsidiary. The move widens Q-Cells head start in the solar cell business.

The Malaysia production line — the company's seventh — is designed for a maximum capacity of more than 300 MWp. While Q-Cells declined to specify on the investment amount, media releases in the Malaysian press quote trade minister Rafidah Aziz saying that the investment will be somewhat higher than 1 billion Ringgit (about $307 million). The first construction phase with a capacity of 160 MWp is scheduled to ramp up production in 1Q2009.

Q-Cell subsidiary Calyxo, producing thin film modules based on cadmium telluride technology, will more than double its present production capacity from 25 MWp to 60 MWp. The additional production will start to ramp up in 2Q2009, the company said.

According to preliminary figures published, the company has augmented its production by 54 percent during the past year. With a total of 389 MWp, the company surpassed earlier estimates.

Sales grew 59 percent to €859 million (about $1.253 billion). Operating profit rose 52 percent to €197 million. Net profit came in 69 percent higher than last year with €148 million.

February 2008, Photon magazine had declared Q-Cells as the world's largest solar cell manufacturer, surpassing Sharp in this function. This ranking was based on the amount of only 370 MWp.

Silicon Laboratories Opens Headquarters in Singapore

Silicon Laboratories Inc., a fabless semiconductor company that designs high-performance mixed-signal integrated circuits, has opened its new facility in Singapore. The new international headquarters will serve as the key business hub with design and R&D support for all the company’s businesses outside of the US.

The Singapore office currently employs around 60 people, which represents 10 percent of Silicon Lab’s overall employees, but this number will increase within the next few months to fill up the growing needs of the region.

Since Silicon Labs established its headquarters in Singapore in 204, the company has grown its headquarters each year. The headquarters hosts finance, operations, engineering, applications and human resources support. With the newly expanded facility, Silicon Labs will be able to expand its engineering and test and design capacity among other benefits.

Silicon Lab’s invest 20 percent of our revenue on R&D. In Singapore, we also do R&D activities, particularly microprocessor design. The hot applications for us are mobile phones and consumer electronics. The top OEMs in Asia are our customers. In Korea, for example, LG and Samsung are our customers. We also have steady growth in portable navigation devices, portable audio, residential gateways, embedded solutions for STBs, and communications and networking.

Majority of Silicon Laboratories’ revenue comes from Asia. Eighty percent of its products are being shipped to the region.

Q-Cell Plans Production in Mexico

German solar cell producer Q-Cells AG has agreed with the Mexican Federal Government, the Government of the State of Baja California and Silicon Border Development—a developer of industrial parks for high-tech-companies—to build a production complex for thin-film modules in Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California, close to the U.S. border.

Under the agreement, Q-Cells will invest up to $3.5 billion in the mid to long term. The expansion plans are contingent upon the development of the photovoltaics markets in the United States, Mexico and Latin America, that will be supplied from Mexicali.

The company expects to achieve a better access to the American growth markets and hedge against currency fluctuations with the new plant.

Carmanah Gets More Orders for Solar Lighting

Carmanah Technologies Corporation, Victoria, British Columbia Canada, as part of an ongoing commitment to equip Transport for London transit routes with solar-powered lighting and communications technology, has received an additional purchase order of $1.1M from Trueform Engineering Ltd. for London Bus Stop systems. Carmanah currently has more than 3,000 of the London Bus Stop systems and 650 transit shelter lighting systems installed throughout the City of London, England. This latest order is part of a longstanding partnership with UK-based Trueform Engineering in support of an initiative to install up to 7,000 London Bus Stops in total.

Kovio’s New Facility Supports Volume Production of Printed Silicon Electronics

Kovio, Inc., a privately held Silicon Valley company announced that it has completed the strategic move of its headquarters to a 95,000-square-foot facility in Milpitas, five times the size of its former location. The move enables Kovio to bring its printed product family to market this year.
Printed silicon electronics enables significantly lower capital expenditures and faster cycle times over conventional silicon technologies, facilitating sustainable local semiconductor device manufacturing.

Kovio's approach is also attractive from an environmental standpoint. Its green process utilizes a fraction of the chemicals and energy required for traditional silicon device manufacturing.

Kovio formally launched last November when it introduced the world's first all-printed high-performance silicon thin-film transistor, the key building block that will enable the integration of intelligence into everyday items. At that time, the company also announced two separate joint development and supply agreements with customers Toppan Forms and Cubic Transportation Systems.

Solar Industry Veteran Skypoint Solar Launches New Manufacturing Company

Seasoned industry executives join forces to launch Skypoint Solar, Manchester Center, VT Skypoint Solar is a company focused on thin film solar panel manufacturing and solar power generation.

Recently the launch of Skypoint Solar, Inc. was announced, a large-scale, solar panel manufacturing company, whose business model includes the creation of solar power parks for utility-scale electricity generation. The Company was started with seed capital from its founding management team, including senior executives from the thin film solar, semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing industries.

Skypoint Solar has been created with the goal of quickly ramping up production of thin film solar modules,” stated John R.Tuttle, Ph.D., Skypoint’s CEO. “Our first US-based manufacturing facilities are being designed to produce approximately 120 Megawatts (MW) per year of solar modules. We will begin producing modules based upon proven amorphous / microcrystalline silicon technology (AMSi) and will also develop follow-on technology solutions targeting improved performance and lower costs. Additionally, we will be deploying our product in Skypoint-owned and operated solar power parks, both domestically and internationally.”

Google Joins the Solar Market

Google is constructing a solar electricity system which will become the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States. The 1.6 megawatt project will provide enough green energy to supply 1,000 average California homes using rooftop and parking-lot panels. The project will involve 9,212 solar panels provided by Sharp Electronics. A majority will be placed on the rooftops of some of the buildings in the Googleplex and others will provide shaded parking as part of newly constructed solar panel support structures on existing Google parking lots. The solar energy will be used to power several of Google's Mountain View office facilities.

EI Solutions, the systems integration arm of Energy Innovations, has the job and will begin constructing the solar electricity system shortly. With a total capacity of 1.6 megawatts –– the Google system will be the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world.

New Solar Plants in California

As well as having a reputation for sunshine and acceptance of alternative lifestyles, California is fast becoming a leader in the field of solar. with more plans unveiled for a new large scale solar plant.

The five megawatt facility being developed in the City of Mendota will sell emission-free photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity to Pacific Gas & Electric. Scheduled to begin operation in the spring of 2009 the plant, dubbed “CalRENEW-1”, will provide environmental, economic and educational benefits to the region, in addition to new jobs creation. Cleantech America, the company behind the new plant, has promised $20,000 to the City of Mendota for a new vocational education program to help train workers in solar power installation and maintenance.

CalRENEW-1 will be one of the most advanced photovoltaic solar facilities in the world. It will utilize a blend of current flat panel and advanced concentrator photovoltaic technologies to help California meet its stringent renewable energy and carbon reduction goals. Cleantech is a San Francisco-based startup with big dreams for the future. CalRENEW-1 is just the first step in their plans to build a number of large scale solar plants in California.

California has about 40 photovoltaic solar power projects of 500 kilowatts or more either planned, built or operating.

Clear Skies Solar Plans Solar Farm

In yet another example of California's leading role in solar-power, Clear Skies Solar has announced plans to build an 8MW solar farm in Cantil. The project will encompass 34 acres of land and cost around US$44 million.

To be developed with California Sunrise, the Clear Skies plant will produce electricity to be sold under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to a local utility company.

Ezra Green, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Clear Skies Solar said that the Cantil development is just the beginning of several large utility scale projects the company is undertaking around the globe.

Clear Skies Solar was slated to close on the land contract on June 14, taking full title of the property at that time. It will then manage the property for the next 20 years and expects to see significant revenue from the project. An environmental impact study was conducted to ensure that protected desert wildlife would not be affected.

There are many areas within California suitable to host solar farms however, this particular location was chosen due to its proximity to the utility substation. This will help make the economics of the solar farm project feasible. No date for completion of the photovoltaic solar farm has been set as yet.

Saudi Arabia Gives to Stanford Solar Initiative

Saudi Arabia's new science and technology university has made another large grant to Stanford researchers, this time revolving around solar power. The $25 million grant from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, spans the next five years beginning this month and will fund a new center at Stanford, the Center for Advanced Molecular Photovoltaics.

Intel Has New Renewable Initiative Called SpectraWatt

Intel Corp. is spinning off key assets of a start-up business effort inside Intel's New Business Initiatives group to form an independent company called SpectraWatt Inc to spur new development and demand for renewable energy sources.

Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, is leading a Rs.200.11 crore ($50 million) investment round in SpectraWatt and is joined by Cogentrix Energy LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund Solon AG. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008.

SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers. In addition to focusing on advanced solar cell technologies, SpectraWatt will concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce the cost of photovoltaic energy generation. SpectraWatt expects to break ground on its manufacturing and advanced technology development facility in Oregon in 2H 08 with first product shipments expected by mid-2009.

Solar cells are the discrete components in a solar energy generation system responsible for converting sunlight to electricity. The end-user market segment for solar technology in 2007 was approximately Rs.120,063.21 crore ($30 billion), a 50 percent increase from 2006, according to Photon Consulting. Solar industry growth of 30 to 40 per cent annually is expected to continue in years to come as the economics of solar, which is currently approximately twice the cost of delivered retail electricity on a per kilowatt basis, begins to approach that of traditional electricity-generation technologies.

Micrel Adds Cypress Automation System

Cypress Systems Corp., a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY), announced that Micrel has successfully installed its Wireless Gauge Reader system to automate the monitoring of legacy manual gauges at Micrel’s 150-mm manufacturing facility, which has a 30,000 wafer start per month capacity. The projected annual savings generated by this effort is estimated at about $215,000, with an investment payback period of less than seven months.

Micrel Inc., is a leading global manufacturer of IC solutions for the worldwide analog, Ethernet and high bandwidth markets. The Company’s products include advanced mixed-signal, analog and power semiconductors; high performance communication, clock management, Ethernet switch and physical layer transceiver ICs. Corporation headquarters and state-of-the-art wafer fabrication facilities are located in San Jose, CA with regional sales and support offices and advanced technology design centers situated throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

On Semiconductor Plans Closures

ON Semiconductor announced it plans to close its two wafer manufacturing facilities located in Piešťany, Slovakia, and transfer the production lines to other company-owned facilities. The fab closures are expected to occur over the next 12 to 18 months. The closure will ultimately result in the elimination of approximately 400 manufacturing-related jobs beginning in May 2009. The company’s nonmanufacturing back-end business operations, however, will remain in Piešťany and ON Semiconductor’s university-based Development Center located in Bratislava, Slovakia, will remain operating.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Science & Technology Facility

The Science & Technology Facility at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO, was designed to accelerate development and commercialization of promising new renewable energy sources. It is a space that stimulates communication between its myriad scientists as they try to resolve complex R&D issues confronting the next generation of solar technologies. It does this in a facility that can be easily reconfigured to meet changing research requirements.

From the outset, the building was envisioned as an exemplary Laboratory for the 21st Century, one that provided safe, functional, inspiring work areas while achieving aggressive energy savings and low environmental impact. As such, the Science & Technology Facility was the first federal building, and the first laboratory, to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum designation as one of the world’s most energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings.

For its flexibility and sustainability, the NREL Science & Technology Facility has been awarded the 2008 R&D Magazine Laboratory of the Year Special Mention Award.

Underlying Themes

The Science & Technology facility was built on the idea that safety, functionality, and energy efficiency could be integrated effectively into the design of a research space that could be easily adapted to meet changing research requirements.

Architects juxtaposed three distinct shapes—a two-story rectangular laboratory area, a conical lobby, and a one-story, rectangular office pod separated from the laboratory block by a triangular wedge—to form a unique footprint.

The shapes provide functional separation as well as the opportunity to achieve safety and energy efficiency goals and make a statement about the research conducted inside. The separation of office space from the laboratories allowed the architects to design a collegial office space that fosters greater interaction among scientists.

“The layout of the overall facility allows ‘nodes’ of interaction at crossing points between programs and disciplines in the plan,” says Jeffrey Zynda, Associate at Payette Associates, Inc., Boston, Mass., and Lab of the Year judge. “The organization of the facility was quite clear and well executed.”

Flexible Spaces

The centerpiece of the Science & Technology Facility is the Process Development and Integration Laboratory (PDIL). It is a 56 ft x 200 ft column-free space that features six large open bays, each of which can support one or more reconfigurable research platforms.

Each platform consists of a series of interchangeable deposition, processing, and characterization modules that can be flexibly configured to meet current research needs. At any given time, the PDIL can accommodate multiple industry partners working side-by-side with NREL researchers on different research problems.

The Science & Technology Facility’s other laboratory spaces were designed around a common module. Labs are large and open, flanking spine-like central service corridors which carry utilities, services, and materials to the back of each laboratory.

Utility “runouts” are available at 20-foot intervals. Standardized ceiling-mounted utility drops are strategically placed at regular intervals to allow tools to be easily relocated and reconfigured without costly changes.

In addition, appropriately spaced prepared openings in the service corridor wall, combined with “notched” alcoves in the service corridor make it easy to interchange support equipment in the labs. A unique in-floor trench allows support equipment to be connected to tools inside the labs.

“The flexible nature of the labs will allow individual needs to be met on a lab-by-lab basis, and I believe this facility will be well-received by the researchers within,” says Zynda.

“Interior design offers a high degree of flexibility in addition to being cost effective for a lab of this type,” agrees Jim Contratto, director of business development at McCarthy Building Co., St.Louis, Mo., and another Lab of the Year judge. “Mobile casework and overhead service carriers allow for maximum flexibility which should give researchers the ability to reconfigure the lab to individual needs.”

Energy efficiency and sustainability reflect the research

With the goal of building a showcase facility that embodies the mission of NREL, architects designed the Science & Technology Facility to be a model of energy efficiency and sustainability that minimally impacts the environment.

To reduce energy consumption, the facility incorporates passive solar building design with efficient mechanical systems and laboratory equipment.

The daylighting concept for the facility was to provide the optimum amount of balanced natural light for each of the functional components—offices and laboratories. Not only does natural lighting offset the need for energy-consuming electric lighting, numerous studies have linked natural daylighting in buildings to increased human performance.

At times when natural light must be supplemented with electric lighting, efficient fluorescent light fixtures bounce light off the ceiling for greater dispersal. Sophisticated automated lighting controls monitor the level of natural light and human presence and dim or turn off electric lights to reduce energy use.

Choosing energy efficient operating systems was key to major energy reductions in the Science & Technology Facility. Some of the systems include:

• Variable-air-volume supply and exhaust systems produce energy savings by allowing supply air volumes to vary with equipment cooling requirements and fume hood operations.

• Fan coil units provide heating and cooling directly to laboratory spaces, nearly eliminating the need for inefficient heating systems. Fan coils allow the ventilation system to supply only the tempered air required for minimum ventilation and makeup air for exhaust devices.

• Energy recovery: a runaround coil system with an estimated 63% sensible effectiveness reduces the heating and cooling requirements associated with conditioning ventilation air in labs. The system recovers energy from exhaust air to precondition supply air and uses waste heat from the process water loop to preheat ventilation air.

Efficient heating and cooling strategies include a high-efficiency condensing boiler and variable-speed chiller, indirect evaporative cooling, and a heat exchanger that allows cooling water to bypass chillers and be cooled directly by the cooling tower.
Low-flow chemical fume hoods and laminar flow hoods are operated at the lowest safe face velocity level to minimize room air turbulence and reduce energy consumption.

Sustainability is an important part of NREL’s vision for its campus. Not only are buildings expected to use less energy, they are expected to have a low carbon footprint during construction and operation. The Science & Technology Facility exemplifies this philosophy.

In constructing the facility, M.A. Mortenson recycled more than 80 percent of the construction waste by weight. 11 percent of the building materials were from recycled materials, and 27 percent of the construction materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the building site, minimizing impact on land and air quality by reducing the amount of waste to landfills and vehicle emissions from transporting materials.

Operationally, in addition to lowering conventional energy consumption, steps were taken to mitigate the impact of exhaust emissions on sensitive ecology, and water management strategies were adopted. Water efficiencies included constructing a storm water detention system around the building that naturally filters pollutants and encourages slow percolation and retention of runoff water flowing into existing arroyos. Cooling tower operating cycles were lowered to reduce makeup water requirements. Low-water consuming fixtures such as ultra-low flow urinals also reduce water needs.

Setting the standard for the future

NREL’s Science & Technology Facility is leading the way in renewable energy R&D, and it will also pave a path for other labs to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability.

With all the energy-saving and sustainable features that the Science & Technology Facility has built in, it received the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum designation. This achievement is remarkable, considering the safety requirements demanded by a research environment that handles hazardous production materials, the enormous energy requirements of a working laboratory facility, and the finite budget appropriated for the facility’s design and construction. In fact, the Science & Technology Facility to date is the only high hazard classification (H5) facility to attain the LEED Platinum honor.

“The ability for LEED certification is certainly setting the standard for lab design and proves that LEED can be achieved for laboratories with specialization,” says Contratto.

“Achieving a LEED Platinum level for a heavy use chemistry and materials science laboratory makes this lab stand out,” agrees Richard Reitz, an independent laboratory design consultant and Lab of the Year judge. “Most high LEED awards for labs are for buildings that are very light on laboratory science. Hopefully, this facility will encourage other owners of ‘heavy duty’ labs to consider striving for a LEED Platinum rating. The conventional wisdom up to this point is that you can get a Gold certification for a lab but that was about all that was possible.”

The Science & Technology Facility shows that “what is possible” with respect to energy efficiency and sustainability has been redefined.

Siltronic and Samsung Open New Fab in Singapore

Siltronic Samsung Wafer Pte. Ltd, a joint venture of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and SiltronicAG, commissioned a new fab in Singapore for the production of 300 mm wafers. The facility officially started operation in an opening ceremony attended by Singapore´s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. After only 18 months of construction, Samsung Electronics, a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, and Siltronic, a subsidiary of Germany´s chemical group Wacker Chemie AG, now own one of the world´s largest and most advanced factories for 300 mm wafers. By 2010, the joint venture should reach a monthly capacity of 300,000 wafers and provide over 800 jobs. The overall investment in this project amounts to US$1 billion.

Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007 consolidated sales of US$103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of four main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, and Telecommunication Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs.

Japan's Toshiba Scaling Back on Its NAND Flash-Memory Production

Toshiba plans to cease NAND production at FlashVision Ltd., a joint manufacturing venture between Toshiba and its NAND flash-memory production partner, SanDisk Corp. Located at its Yokkaichi Operations in Japan, the venture manages part of NAND flash-memory fabrication on 200-mm wafer lines.

Instead, Toshiba will mainly focus on its 300-mm fabs for NAND production. Toshiba will buy out part of the production equipment owned by FlashVision and utilize it at its Yokkaichi Operations, or other Toshiba sites. FlashVision will sell the remaining equipment to third parties.

A smaller 200-mm wafer fab operation, with approximately 60 percent of current capacity, will continue to produce flash memories for multi-chip packages (MCPs).

Toshiba intends to strengthen cost competitiveness and meet market needs by combining continued proactive capital investments in expansion of production capacity at 300-mm wafer lines.

Earlier this year, Toshiba and SanDisk signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on one of the new fabs, targeting a production start-up date in 2010, and a related production joint venture. Details of the fab, including site location, will be finalized as planning progresses.

Fab City Grows in India

The Andhra Pradesh government is in talks with three hi-tech companies, engaged in the manufacture of photovoltaic solar cells, liquid crystal display (LCD) and light-emitting diodes (LED), for setting their facilities in the state. The facilities together are expected to bring in an investment of $6 billion (around 25,200 crore).

The facilities will come up at the Fab City in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Nellore, each attracting a minimum investment of $2 billion (approximately Rs 8,400 crore).

The new entrants would join the growing list of semiconductor and hi-tech manufacturing companies that have proposed projects in the state. In all, 16-odd companies have signed agreements with the government. These include Hyderabad-based XL Telecom and Energy, which is planning to set up a solar cells and modules unit at an outlay of $76.25 million (Rs 320.25 crore), composite insulators manufacturer Goldstone Infratech that is setting up a Rs 2,800-crore thin-film photovoltaic panels unit in a joint venture with Korea-based TF SolarPower and Jusung Engineering, and Titan Energy Systems, which announced a Rs 900-crore project with complete value chain from wafer, modules to system integration in the Fab City.

Moser Baer Photovoltaic, the solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing arm of optical storage disk maker Moser Baer, has been sanctioned 100 acres for setting up a solar cell facility and an R&D lab in the Fab City. Initially, 25 acres would be allotted to Moser Baer while the rest would be kept as reserve.

The company is simultaneously expanding to Chennai as well and is expected to start operations, with a 300Mw capacity, at the Fab City in the next one year. Each Mw could entail an investment of between $1 million and $1.5 million.

Advanced Photonix Opening of Semiconductor Microfabrication Facility

Advanced Photonix, Inc. has announced the completion of the company's new multi-million dollar, 5,000 square foot microfabrication facility for R&D and manufacturing of optoelectronic semiconductors.

The facility consolidates the company's microfabrication operations, including its California and Wisconsin cleanrooms, to one centralized and world-leading facility in Ann Arbor, at its wholly owned subsidiary, Picometrix.

This consolidation was made possible by the acquisition of Picometrix, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with API in 2005, and up to $1.2 million of tax incentives provided by the State of Michigan and the City of Ann Arbor. These tax incentives made it economical and competitive to consolidate in Michigan. The State provided a Single Business Tax credit, approved by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), valued at more than $1.1 million over ten years and the City provided a personal property tax abatement of as much as $94,000 over a five-year abatement period. According to a University of Michigan economic analysis, the project is expected to generate more than $44.2 million in personal income for Michigan workers over the life of the tax credit and create 105 direct and indirect jobs over a ten year period.

Voltaix's Second Germane Facility Expands Capacity to 50+ Tons

Voltaix^®, LLC, a leading manufacturer of specialty materials for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries, announced expansion of its germane manufacturing capacity to meet growing demands in the solar and semiconductor industries. Voltaix continuous improvement efforts in the germane plant in its North Branch, NJ facility have increased throughput by more than 200%. In addition, Voltaix plans to complete the installation and commissioning of a second, previously constructed state-of-the-art skid-mounted germane production plant. This new production plant, which will be operated at a new site, has a capacity that is approximately three times that of the current plant. The new plant is expected to be operating within 15 months. These capacity expansions will increase Voltaix germane manufacturing capacity to more than 50 tons per year.

Texas Instruments Moves Design and Development Facility

Texas Instruments Inc. will move from its current facility into two of the former AOL buildings in the Williams Centre. The company has signed long-term leases for 100,000 square feet of space, which will become a “design center of excellence” and illustrates Texas Instruments’ commitment to retaining and growing its Tucson-based development of innovative, market-leading analog products.

Global semiconductor company Texas Instruments will move its local design and development activities to the new facility, including highly skilled analog engineers. In addition, the space at the Williams Centre is a more modern facility than the company’s current location and is better suited for product development efforts. Texas Instruments has occupied its current space since 2000.

Texas Instruments has been in Tucson since it acquired Burr-Brown Research Corp. in 2000. Burr-Brown was founded in 1956.

Hemlock, Saginaw Co. Richland Township, Michigan, Expands Polysilicon Capacity

By the end of this year, Hemlock's new facility will produce approximately 9,000 metric tons of new polysilicon capacity, bringing the company's annual capacity to approximately 19,000 metric tons – making it what the company believes is the largest single polysilicon facility in the world.

To nearly double its output of polycrystalline silicon as part of a $1.5 billion expansion announced last year, Hemlock, Mich.-based Hemlock Semiconductor Corp has begun production at its new polysilicon facility to begin serving the semiconductor and solar energy industries.

By the end of this year, the new facility will produce approximately 9,000 metric tons of new polysilicon capacity, bringing the company’s annual capacity to approximately 19,000 metric tons – making it what the company believes is the largest single polysilicon facility in the world.

For solar applications, polycrystalline silicon is the key material used to produce solar cells that collect renewable energy from light rays; in addition, polysilicon is used in the production of semiconductor devices, the company reminded.

Hemlock, a joint venture of Dow Corning Corp and Japan-based Shin-Etsu Handotai Co Ltd and Mitsubishi Materials Corp, said delivering polysilicon from the new facility as quickly as possible was essential to meet customer expectations. Hemlock expects to complete an additional expansion with operations and supply beginning in 2010, which will increase the total capacity from the Hemlock site to 36,000 tons by the end of 2011.

The company is continuing its search for a second location to potentially build a new manufacturing facility, and said collaborative efforts with customers are underway that may lead to further expansions as the company expects high demand for its materials to continue.

Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. is seeking a second site to potentially boost production, even as production at a new polysilicon plant west of Saginaw gets under way.

Manufacture of polycrystalline silicon for use in the semiconductor and solar energy industries will nearly double with the new capacity coming online, the company said.

Celerity Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Singapore

Celerity, Inc., a technology leader in precision instruments and advanced gas and liquid delivery solutions for the global semiconductor and electronics industries, announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Singapore, Celerity Fluid Systems Pte. Ltd. The new manufacturing site is located in the Woodlands Industrial Park district in the Northern part of Singapore. The opening of the new Singapore facility positions Celerity to serve its major customers in the region more efficiently with the manufacturing of advanced gas delivery systems.

The company's new facility occupies 17,000 square feet and will handle integration and manufacturing of semiconductor advanced gas delivery systems and other solutions. The location is situated near Singapore's high-tech business parks in close proximity with key Celerity customers. Gas delivery system manufacturing has already begun with first shipments expected to commence as early as August 2008.

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