PURSUING THE BETTER SOLAR CELL, MAKING THE BETTER INVESTMENT

Less than 3 years ago, the breakthrough Suniva production process designed to significantly cut the cost of solar energy by streamlining solar cell production was a concept developed by Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi in the rarified academic confines of the Georgia Institute of Technology's University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics (UCEP).

Suniva got its first venture funding in 2006.

Early in 2008, Suniva produced solar cells in the lab with a 20% conversion efficiency, verified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This set a world record for low-cost screen-printed solar cells.

Today, Suniva is producing at a 32-megawatt capacity. Next year it will be producing at a 96-megawatt capacity. The year after that, it will be at a 175-megawatt capacity.

To put the panels on a house or building, some challenging paperwork is followed by a couple of days of construction and several weeks of waiting for inspections.

The panels last 25 to 30 years.

For comparison: Nuclear energy dates back to the 1930s. Due to controversy, regulatory complications and costs, the U.S. has not built a new plant in 3 decades.

According to Professor Mark Jacobson of Stanford University, based on worldwide averages, a nuclear plant site permit requires 3½-to-6 years and a construction permit requires 2½-to-4 years. Construction requires 4-to-9 years. The life of a nuclear plant is about 40 years.

While nuclear technology is providing paperwork for lawyers and draftsmen, solar technology is making new jobs for production workers and generating energy to pay off financing.

For that rare investor with capital to put to work, which industry is the one the smart lender should put money in?

click to enlarge

Suniva Begins Production of High Efficiency Solar Cells at Norcross Facility; Simultaneously announces partnership with Germany's centrotherm photovoltaics AG for 2nd US production line in 2009
November 4, 2008 (Business Wire via MarketWatch)

WHO
Suniva Inc. (John Baumstark, CEO and Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, founder/CTO); centrotherm photovoltaics AG (Dr. Peter Fath, CTO)

WHAT
Suniva began production of ARTisun(TM) solar cells on its new 32MWp line and announced plans to partner again with centrotherm photovoltaics AG on a second production line with twice the capacity.

Suniva is ready to be more than just one of the "others." (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- Production has begun less than 12 months after planning started.
- The second production line will go into operation in 2009.
- This, Suniva’s first factory, will have a total capacity of ~175 MWp by early 2010.

WHERE
- The production facility is in Norcross, GA, where the second, larger production line will be added.
- Suniva is based in Atlanta, GA
- The Georgia Institute of Technology's University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics is one of the U.S.’s premier silicon PV research center.

WHY
- Suniva's ARTisun(TM) low-cost monocrystalline silicon solar cells are delivered to module manufacturers for assembly into high efficiency solar modules.
- Suniva sells its solar cells under existing contracts with companies such as Solon AG and Titan Energy Systems LTD. totaling more than $1 billion.
- Both the working and planned production lines use uniquely configured centrotherm integrated equipment and Suniva patented fabrication techniques.
- Suniva's manufacturing technique optimizes a number of manufacturing steps in solar cell production.
- Suniva founder, Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi was named one of "the top 5 most influential players in renewable energy" globally by Institutional Investor News.
- Suniva owns exclusive license to critical patents and patent-pending intellectual property.
- centrotherm photovoltaics AG is an international provider of solar silicon and crystalline solar cell production engineering and process-technology services for equipment and facilities in the manufacture of solar cell and thin film modules.

click to enlarge

QUOTES
- John Baumstark, CEO, Suniva: "Suniva's customized centrotherm production lines allow us to manufacture state-of-the-art solar cells while also keeping the flexibility to incorporate additional innovations in the future…Partnering with industry leader centrotherm photovoltaics allows us to quickly and responsibly scale to meet our existing contracts and future market demand."
- Dr. Peter Fath, CTO, centrotherm photovoltaics AG: "As an equipment supplier to Suniva, we quickly recognized the company's potential for providing leading solar cell technology and are proud to join forces in striving towards grid parity…Today's announcement of Suniva's second centrotherm production line positions our two companies as solid leaders of growth in US-based solar manufacturing."