HelioVolt is undertaking a revolution that is going to change the face of solar electricity.
Austin, Texas, is going to be the proud bearer of the initial manufacturing facility. Here will be undertaken the ambitious project of building solar panels with a thin-film technolgy, less expensive than current, silicon-based methods. As the HelioVolt website proclaims,
Skyscrapers to homes, clad in the thinnest solar skin yet imaginable. Seamlessly solarized building materials and architectural modules — from roofing to sunshades and skylights. Even solar-integrated buildings from the ground up.
HelioVolt’s thin-film solar cell is composed of copper, indium, gallium and selenium. The company’s proprietary printing process can rapidly coat solar cells onto glass, metal and other construction materials, eventually making it cost-effective for even windows and exterior cladding to become power sources.
The company, recently lauded as an AlwaysOn GoingGreen Top 100 company, accumulated $101 million in its series B funding round. The Austin City Council offered HelioVolt incentives worth more than $60,000, equal to 60 percent in property tax abatements for 10 years, provided the company met investment and employment targets (150 new jobs). County Commissioners refrained from offering similar incentives on the ground that the company wasn’t making enough capital investment.
Via: Next Energy News
