Semprius, Inc., an American solar energy company and innovator of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules, will open it’s first manufacturing facility on September 26 in Henderson, North Carolina.
The company will make use of it’s state-of-the-art micro transfer printing processes to produce solar cells that use lenses to focus sunlight on cells with a 33.9 percent conversion efficiency – both the world’s smallest and highest efficiency cells of this type.
This high conversion rate increases the amount of electricity produced compared to conventional PV cells, making Semprius solar cells more competitive against the leading polysilicon solar cells in commercial production made by SunPower Corp. that have 24 percent conversion rates.
A HCPV cell. Credit: Semprius
“The highly anticipated opening of this new facility has significant implications for the future of renewable energy,” said Semprius, Inc. CEO Joe Carr in a press statement.
“It’s a major milestone for Semprius, and we’re very proud of our team and our public and private partners that have helped us bring it in on time and on budget. With production ramped up, we will be able to effectively service our customers, including companies like Siemens and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne,” he added.
It’s anticipated that Semprius will hire more than 250 workers in the coming years, delivering their highly efficient panels to companies including Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Siemens, which bought a stake of around 16 percent in the company.
Semprius has developed its technology with support from the U.S. Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and has raised almost $40 million in funding in the last 15 months from a variety of investors. In addition, Semprius has taken advantage of incentives totaling almost $8 million from both the state of North Carolina and Vance County.
