How It's Made - Solar Panels

[Luke_Wilbur]

The video walks through the processes by which How solar panels are made. A solar panel is a device that collects and converts solar energy into electricity or heat. It transfers energy from the sun into electricity or heat which can be used by (for example) nearby buildings.

 

 

[Guest Nanosolar Inc]

Nanosolar (http://www.nanosolar.com/) has developed proprietary technology that makes it possible to simply roll-print solar cells that require only 1/100th as thick an absorber as a silicon-wafer cell (yet deliver similar performance and durability). Efficient and durable thin-film CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide) and innovated production throughput deliver the world’s most cost-efficient solar electricity cell.

 

"We are pleased to have been able to achieve such a broad consensus among the leading investors in this industry that we have managed to develop the world's distinctly most cost-efficient, mass-manufacturable solar cell," said Martin Roscheisen.

 

2000/2001 Backdrop: Public policy leadership by Japan and Germany creates an investible regulatory framework for solar electricity technology; a multi-billion dollar global market is enabled.

 

May 2002: Martin Roscheisen and Brian Sager, both former Stanford PhD candidates, found Nanosolar with the goal of making solar electricity an entire order of magnitude less expensive -- by taking an unprecedented technology-aggressive Silicon Valley approach to solar power. The company receives initial financing from the founders.

 

July 2002: The founders of Google and a set of experienced "angel" investors provide first external seed financing. For many, this is the first angel investment in over two years.

 

June 2004: Nanosolar is first in history to achieve a key technology milestone: to simply roll-print the semiconductor of a solar cell that can be as efficient and durable as a conventional silicon cell.

 

Nanosolar is a privately held company with financial backing from an elite group of private technology investors, including:

 

Benchmark Capital -- the venture firm behind such franchise companies as eBay, Handspring, Juniper Networks and Red Hat Software;

 

MDV - Mohr Davidow Ventures -- the venture firm behind such leading companies as Rambus, Epigram, FormFactor, and Agile Software;

 

SAC Capital -- one of the world's leading public/private investment funds;

 

GLG Partners -- one of the world's leading public/private investment funds;

 

Swiss Re -- the world's leading and most diversified reinsurer;

 

LGT Capital Group -- Europe's largest wealth and asset management group;

 

Grazia Equity -- the original backer of Conergy AG, the world's largest PV system integrator;

 

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. -- Japan's oldest and largest international trading company with over 300 years of business presence in the world and more than $100 billion in annual business;

 

OnPoint Technologies -- the US Army's private equity fund;

 

Stanford University -- the place where many of our team members received their education;

 

Individual investors including Martin Roscheisen, Sergey Brin, Carl & Larry Page, Jeff Skoll (via Capricorn Management), Klaus Tschira (via FirstVentury), Dietmar Hopp, Mark Pincus, Reid Hoffman, Sunil Paul, Bernhard Beck, and Christian Reitberger.