Solar Panel Maker Semprius Taps $500,000 In Stimulus Funding
CleanTech Brief
North Carolina-based Semprius, a semiconductor technology company,has won $500,000 in federal stimulus money to help fund itssolar-energy technology.
Semprius, which pulled in $6.5 million in venture capital financing last month, will use the money to fund development of a more efficient and inexpensive solar panel.
The company is developing a novel transfer printing technology forthe manufacture of advanced semiconductor devices. In conventionalsolar panels, semiconductors cover 100% of the panel’s surface.Semprius’ technology covers only 0.1% of the panel with semiconductorcells. The remainder of the panel is covered in hundreds of tiny lensesfocusing the sun’s energy onto the semiconductor cells.
The lenses are far less expensive than the semiconductor cells.
Semprius will use the $500,000 from the American Recovery andInvestment Act to fund its efforts to maximize the efficiency of thelenses in concentrating and directing sunlight to the semiconductorcells.
