Wednesday, June 10, 2009

SpectraWatt Selected For NREL Solar Power Research Effort

Hillsboro, Oregon-based SpectraWatt is the beneficiary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and has received a $500,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), NREL said Tuesday. According to NREL, it has partnered with 13 U.S. small solar businesses as part of an effort to accelerate the commercialization of solar energy technology. Among the firms being awarded contracts under the effort is SpectraWatt, which the NREL said is working on a project to improve silicon solar cell efficiency through the use of an additive nano-structured material. The efforts are targeted at increasing the efficiency of multicrytalline Silicon solar cells. SpectraWatt is an Intel spinoff from its New Business Initiatives group, which has received at least $50M in funding from Intel, Cogentrix Energy (owned by The Goldman Sachs Group), PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund, and Solon AG.