Solar ♦ news digest
practically constant power output during the day at high ambient temperatures.
It is the most efficient technology in the photovoltaic industry, achieving current energy-generating efficiencies of 30 percent - approximately twice that of conventional photovoltaic technologies.
Soitec’s technology advantages are based on a strong company history of manufacturing innovative products of the highest quality.
The technology is based on decades of research by the Fraunhofer Institute in Freiburg, Germany, more than six years of industrial implementation, installations in 18 countries worldwide and a current pipeline of hundreds of megawatts.
Soitec’s robust CPV modules incorporate a durable glass-glass design and Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight 500 times onto small, highly efficient multi- junction solar cells.
What’s more, the company’s systems use dual-axis tracking and achieve passive cooling without water consumption, offering competitive advantages in dry and clear-sky locations including the Middle East.
At the beginning of this year, Soitec installed a CPV demonstration system on the Medina College of Technology’s (MCT) campus in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The installation has served as a platform for applied research and training projects concerning solar energy in the Middle East as well as CPV performance in sunny, hot and arid conditions.
With this demonstration system and others in six other countries throughout the MENA region, Soitec has been able to showcase specific design advantages for Saudi Arabia’s climate including modules that do not suffer measurable degradation over time; glass and UV-stable silicone lenses that are resistant to aging, even in extreme conditions; solar cells with useful lifetimes of 30+ years (space-proven); tracker tables with the height and stowing position to withstand sand storms; and systems with high ground clearance to reduce exposure to sand.
Saudi Arabia’s government estimates that demand for electricity in Saudi Arabia should exceed 120 GW in 20 years. To meet this growing need, the Kingdom intends to introduce a significant amount of alternative sources into its energy mix.
According to K.A. CARE, the institution established by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to implement the national renewable-energy policy, solar energy will account for 41 GW of the country’s installed capacity by 2032.
Siva Sivananthan
“Immigrants have long made America more prosperous and innovative, and the Champions we are celebrating today represent the very best in leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service,” said US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. “We are proud to recognise these leaders who work every day to grow our economy, advance science and technology, and support their home communities.”
Sivananthan is a University of Chicago (UIC) alumnus, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Microphysics Laboratory (MPL) at the Department of Physics at UIC. He is a fellow of American Physical Society (APS) and SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics.
He was honoured by SPIE for his contributions to the development of II-VI photovoltaic materials, and received the fellowship on May 1st 2013 at the SPIE Defence, Security and Sensing symposium in Baltimore.
Sivananthan says, “I started EPIR in 1998 to provide research and development for mercury cadmium telluride technology, and to eventually become a manufacturer for infrared materials and devices. I saw the need and opportunities for a horizontally-integrated merchant supplier in the infrared imaging and sensor market. Military requirements necessitate research and development work done at industrial as well as university laboratories.”
Working with leaders in US defence agencies and industry, Sivananthan vigorously promoted the need for on-shore capabilities and horizontal integration for infrared materials and devices. He has given testimony
July 2013
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 141
II-VI expert and EPIR founder honoured at White House
The SPIE awarded Siva Sivananthan for his contributions to the development of II-VI photovoltaic materials
Sivalingam (Siva) Sivananthan, founder and Chief Executive Officer of EPIR Technologies, Inc. (EPIR) was honoured at a White House ceremony on May 29th as one of eleven Champions of Change.
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