Siva Power

Last updated
Siva Power, Inc.
Type Private
Founded2006 (Solexant), restarted in 2013 (Siva Power)
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California
,
U.S.A
Key people
Bruce Sohn (CEO)
Mark Heising (Chairman)
BJ Stanbery (CSO)
Markus Beck (CTO)
Website www.sivapower.com (website is dead).

Siva Power, Inc. is an American solar power company that developed thin-film technology. The company designed and manufactured copper indium gallium deselenide (CIGS) photovoltaics. [1] Siva Power is based in San Jose, California. Bruce Sohn is CEO and Mark Heising is Chairman.

Contents

History

The company was founded in 2006 as Solexant (one of the founders was Paul Alivisatos) and was developing cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology to create solar panels. [2] After the Chinese began dumping silicon solar panels and the American thin-film market worsened, [3] the company decided to pivot and in 2011 hired Brad Mattson to take Solexant in a new direction, which he restarted in 2012. [2] [4] Mattson put the company into stealth mode and ramped up the R&D budget to find a different technology and process for manufacturing solar modules. In 2013 the company reemerged as Siva Power, developing CIGS photovoltaic technology.

As of June 24, 2022 the website is no longer active, and is shown as expiring on August 21, 2021. An article in PV Magazine includes Siva Power as having failed in October 2019. [5]

Technology

Siva Power's deposition technique is Rapid Thermal co-evaporation, which deposits the CIGS compound alloy film by direct reactive condensation of vapors of its constituent elements (copper, indium, gallium, and selenium) onto the substrate, for which Siva Power uses glass. [2] Siva Power has said its initial production capacity of a single line would be 400 megawatts of modules per annum, whereas typical pilot production lines tend to be 5 to 30 megawatts. [2]

Department of Energy SunShot Initiative Award

In 2014, Siva Power won the US Department of Energy SunShot Initiative award under the SunShot SolarMat2 category for driving down the cost of manufacturing and implementing efficiency-increasing technology in manufacturing processes for solar modules. [6] [ unreliable source? ] The manufacturing component Siva Power plans to build through the SunShot award are designed to have a 12x higher areal (e.g.: m2/min) manufacturing throughput than other CIGS deposition tools, enabling a fully automated CIGS deposition system at a 3x reduction in capex, labor, and overhead cost. [7]

Team

While in stealth mode, Robert Wendt, former CTO of XsunX [8] and one of the early pioneers of coevaporated CIGS technology, joined as Vice President of Process and Equipment Development. He began Siva’s CIGS program establishing the company's initial CIGS process capability. [9] When Siva Power came out of stealth, it also announced that energy-security expert and former Director of the CIA James Woolsey had joined its board of directors. [10] Shortly after, Siva Power hired Dr. Markus Beck, former Chief Scientist of First Solar and Solyndra, to be Siva Power’s CTO. [11] Dr. Billy J. "BJ" Stanbery, former CEO and founder of HelioVolt, joined Siva Power as President in March 2015. [12] Siva Power announced in May 2015 that Chris McDonald, a factory operations expert from Applied Materials' Solar Business Group and Intel, would become its COO. [13] In 2016, Siva hired Bruce Sohn, former President of First Solar who was instrumental in driving First Solar from startup to billion-dollar company, as its Vice Chairman of the Board. [14] Sohn became CEO in 2017. [15]

Technical Advisory Board

Siva Power has also assembled a technical advisory board composed of Dr. Rommel Noufi, Dr. Charlie Gay, Dr. Markus Beck, John Benner, Dr. Bulent Basol, Scott Thomsen, Dr. BJ Stanbery and Dr. Vivek Lall, all photovoltaic and materials experts. Noufi was the Principal Scientist of the CIGS technology group at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and is a consulting professor at Stanford University. [16] Gay was the former director of NREL and served as President of Applied Materials Solar Division. [17] [18] Dr. Gay left Siva's advisory board in 2016 when he joined the DOE as Director of the SunShot Program, so as to avoid conflict of interest [19] Benner is the Executive Director of the Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium, an industry-led consortium managed by Stanford and UC Berkeley charged with funding next-generation PV research at US universities and national laboratories with funds from both the US DoE and its industry members, and Basol has more than 30 years of experience in photovoltaics, beginning with Monosolar, one of the first solar companies. [20] [21] Scott Thomsen is a glass materials expert who ran Guardian Industries global glass group as the company President, having previously served as the company's Head of North American glass operations and CTO. [22]

Funding and Acquisitions

When the company was Solexant and developing CdTe technology, it had raised $60M over 3 rounds of venture funding from X Seed Capital, Acero Capital (formerly Olympus Capital), Medley Partners, Birchmere Ventures, Trident Capital, Firelake Capital, and DBL Investors. [23] In 2011, Solexant acquired Wakonda, a solar startup based in New York. [24]

The company was recapitalized with $7M in 2015 in series D preferred equity investments from DBL, Medley, Acero and the city of Wuxi, China. [25] [26] In 2016, the company added $5M more to the series D investment. [27] A $25M Series E round, led by Renaissance Technologies hedge fund manager Jim Simons, was closed in May 2017 for the purpose of funding a pilot line. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photovoltaics</span> Method to produce electricity from solar radiation

Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar panel</span> Assembly of photovoltaic cells used to generate electrical power

A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photovoltaic system or solar array. Solar panels capture sunlight as a source of radiant energy, which is converted into electric energy in the form of direct current (DC) electricity. Arrays of a photovoltaic system can be used to generate solar electricity that supplies electrical equipment directly, or feeds power back into an alternate current (AC) grid via an inverter system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar shingle</span> Type of solar panel

Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels designed to look like and function as conventional roofing materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate, while also producing electricity. Solar shingles are a type of solar energy solution known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building-integrated photovoltaics</span> Photovoltaic materials used to replace conventional building materials

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with similar technology. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. In addition, BIPV allows for more widespread solar adoption when the building's aesthetics matter and traditional rack-mounted solar panels would disrupt the intended look of the building.

HelioVolt Corporation was a privately held solar energy company based in Austin, Texas that suspended operations in 2014. The company manufactured photovoltaic (PV) solar modules using a thin film semiconductor process based on copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) to produce CIGS solar cells. HelioVolt manufactured these thin film modules for commercial rooftop, utility-scale ground mount, residential, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and custom installations. The company raised over $230 million in investments, including over $80 million by SK Group.

MiaSolé is an American solar energy company selling copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic products. MiaSolé's manufacturing process lays CIGS on a flexible stainless steel substrate. MiaSolé produces all layers of photovoltaic material in a continuous sputtering process.

Global Solar Energy is a US-based manufacturer of CIGS solar cells, a thin-film based photovoltaic technology, with manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona, United States, and Berlin, Germany. In 2013, it was bought by Chinese renewable energy company Hanergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascent Solar</span>

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a publicly traded photovoltaic (PV) company located in Thornton, Colorado. Its primary product is a flexible CIGS solar cell on a plastic substrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadmium telluride photovoltaics</span> Type of solar power cell

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics is a photovoltaic (PV) technology based on the use of cadmium telluride in a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thin-film solar cell</span> Type of second-generation solar cell

A thin-film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin-film silicon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Growth of photovoltaics</span>

Worldwide growth of photovoltaics has been close to exponential between 1992 and 2018. During this period of time, photovoltaics (PV), also known as solar PV, evolved from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper indium gallium selenide solar cell</span>

A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell is a thin-film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power. It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper indium gallium selenide solution on glass or plastic backing, along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. Because the material has a high absorption coefficient and strongly absorbs sunlight, a much thinner film is required than of other semiconductor materials.

GreenSun Energy is a Jerusalem-based Israeli company that has developed a new process for producing electricity from solar energy. As The Economist points out, solar energy is a logical development since "Israel is a country with plenty of sunshine, lots of sand and quite a few clever physicists and chemists." The company was founded in 2012 with the goal of helping businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint and save money on energy costs. GreenSun Energy operates in a number of locations across the United States, and offers a variety of financing options to make it easier for customers to adopt renewable energy technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abound Solar</span>

Abound Solar was a manufacturer of cadmium telluride modules–a thin-film photovoltaic technology–based in the United States. It operated a production facility in Longmont, Colorado. The company was incorporated as AVA Solar in 2007 and was rebranded as Abound Solar in March 2009. In 2012 the company laid off almost half its employees before suspending operations and filing for bankruptcy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar Frontier</span>

Solar Frontier Kabushiki Kaisha is a Japanese photovoltaic company that develops and manufactures thin film solar cells using CIGS technology. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu and located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 2006 as Showa Shell Solar, and renamed Solar Frontier in April 2010.

SoloPower Systems Inc. technology is used to create ultra-lightweight, thin-film, flexible Solar Panels, based on CIGS. Originally developed by San Jose, California-based Solopower Inc., the technology is now owned by Solopower Systems Inc., a solar panel development & manufacturing company based in Portland, Oregon. SoloPower technology features an electroplating process that utilizes nearly 100% of its materials to manufacture its CIGS cells.

Hanergy Holding Group Ltd. (Hanergy) is a Chinese multinational company headquartered in Beijing. The company is focusing on thin-film solar value chain, including manufacturing and solar parks development. It also owns the Jinanqiao Hydroelectric Power Station and two wind farms.

Flisom is a developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) thin film solar cells, located near Zurich, Switzerland. The company produces high-efficiency CIGS thin film solar modules on flexible plastic foil using proprietary roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques.

References

  1. ↑ "World's Cheapest Solar Panels Coming In Several Years?" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "A Solar Startup's Bid To Reinvent Itself When Others Have Failed" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "U.S. Solar Panel Makers Say China Violated Trade Rules" . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "This startup says it can make the world's cheapest solar panels" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Beck, Marcus (Jan 10, 2020). "Why Europe and the US failed to capitalize on thin film solar," PV Magazine.
  6. ↑ "Siva Power's CIGS Technology Recognised By US Sunshot Initiative" . Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Solar Manufacturing Technology 2" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "XsunX promoted Grimes to President and Robert Wendt to CTO" . Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Despite wave of sales and bankruptcies, 'thin-film' solar dream still alive" . Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Energy Jobs: Recurrent Energy, SunEdison, Vivint Solar, Enphase, Tenaska, Plug Power" . Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Green Jobs: KP's Ray Lane Now Emeritus; Solexant Nabs Markus Beck for CIGS" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Energy Jobs: Recurrent Energy, SunEdison, Vivint Solar, Enphase, Tenaska, Plug Power" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Energy Jobs: Varentec, Standard Solar, CPF, Siva Power, Sungevity, Nexant, FuelCell Energy" . Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Siva Power Brings On Bruce Sohn (Former First Solar Exec) As Vice Chairman Of The Board" . Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "CIGS thin-film developer Siva Power nabs First Solar's former president as new CEO" . Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "IEEE Electron Devices Society - Rommel Noufi" . Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Siva Power Technical Advisory Board" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Applied Materials Profiles: Charlie Gay, Ph.D." Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Energy Jobs: Charlie Gay to Head DOE SunShot, Plus REC Solar, Stem, JLM Energy, Tigo, Faraday Future" . Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "BAPVC Management" . Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Encore Solar: Team" . Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Scott Thomsen to Lead Guardian Glass" . Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Solexant lands $41.5 million Series C round" . Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "Solexant Rebrands as Siva and Looks to Scale CIGS Thin-Film Solar" . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "The Daily Startup: Siva Power's Funding a Bright Spot for Solar" . Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  26. ↑ "Siva Power Lands $10M to Chase Giga-Scale Domestic Thin-Film Solar Production" . Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Siva Says "Scale Up!" For Low Cost Solar In USA". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  28. ↑ Power, Siva. "Siva Power Closes on $25M to Continue Developing Low‑Cost Solar Module Technology for the Terawatt Era". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
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