General Plasma, Inc. - www.generalplasma.com
General Plasma designs and builds large-area vacuum coating systems. Founded in Tucson in 1997 and employing nearly 60 people, General Plasma is expert in the design and fabrication of systems for solar cell manufacturing.
Using patented (and patent-pending) source technologies and superb mechanical engineering, General Plasma is developing a family of coating systems that deliver order-of-magnitude improvements in deposition rates, uniformity, and cost of ownership.
Applications of General Plasma technologies in solar cell manufacturing include:
- Silicon nitride anti-reflection coating
- Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coatings
- Encapsulation layers
- PECVD-deposited amorphous Silicon and micro-crystalline Silicon
- Surface cleaning and etching
Global Solar - www.globalsolar.com
In 1996, Global Solar Energy debuted onto the solar energy scene, and has since evolved into a major producer of thin-film photovoltaic Copper Indium Gallium DiSelenide (CIGS) solar cells. Global Solar is the leading manufacturer of CIGS thin-film solar on a flexible substrate.
State-of-the-art facilities in Tucson as well as in Berlin, Germany manufacture Global Solar’s solar products, which are then distributed worldwide to serve customers on each continent.
In the fall of 2006, Global Solar announced the expansion of its Tucson operations, including the addition of 50 news jobs and capital investment of $75 million in new equipment and building improvements.
Prism Solar - www.prismsolar.com
Prism Solar Technologies, Inc. was formed in 2005 as a joint venture with the inventors of a unique holographic PV technology that can dramatically reduce the amount of solar cells required in a PV module. HPC is a module technology that is “cell-neutral” and can spectrally select the desired portion of sunlight allowing for “cooler” solar cell operation while maintaining an increased power output by concentrating specific solar wavelengths unto the cells. Through passive tracking, HPC products can achieve higher output in the morning and late afternoon while reducing the amount of expensive silicon necessary in a module.
In June 2007, Prism Solar announced the opening of a new research and development facility in Tucson to house a new optics laboratory and a pre-production photovoltaic module line.
“One of the reasons we chose Tucson is because of its proximity to the University of Arizona which has one of the leading Optical Science Programs in the country” said Glenn Rosenberg, Chief Technology Officer for the Tucson facility. “UA is a major resource for our planned technology roadmap and we look forward to tapping their expertise as well as their world class facilities.”
Schletter Inc. - www.schletter-inc.us
Schletter Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of solar mounting systems based in Germany. The company has operated more than 40 years in the design and manufacturing of steel and aluminum products, and rose to be the largest provider of solar mounting systems in Europe, supplying utility-sized PV-projects.
In May 2008, Schletter announced the opening of its first U.S.-based operations center in Tucson. Following the German lead, the Tucson facility offers everything from design and development to manufacturing of Schletter products.
“Pursuing the chances of solar-power across the globe, we decided to start our U.S. operations in Tucson,” said Martin Hausner, CEO, Schletter Inc. “We looked at locations in Phoenix and Flagstaff, as well as cities in Colorado and California, but we found Tucson most appealing based on living costs, taxes and shipping costs.”
SOLON SE - www.solon.com
SOLON SE is one of the largest solar module manufacturers in Europe and a leading supplier of photovoltaic systems for large-scale solar power plants. The SOLON Group's core business is the manufacture of solar modules in various performance categories and of complete photovoltaic systems for the construction of solar power plants as well as the construction of turn-key solar power plants worldwide.
The SOLON Group has subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.S. In January 2007, SOLON established its only U.S. facility in Tucson, which manufactures solar modules and systems for the North American market.
“SOLON chose Tucson as home for our U.S. operations due to its high solar resource, its talent pool available from the local universities and the relatively low cost of operations. SOLON believes that Arizona will be the leader in solar energy over the next decade and beyond,” said Rob Wanless, Business Development Manager for SOLON in Tucson.
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