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Editorial: Investigating Environmental "Offset" Opportunities
... Is there a role for compound semi industry companies and labs that are working on "renewable energy" projects in the relatively new CO2 offset program? What??? You don't know about CO2 Offsets, sometimes known as Renewable Energy Offsets? While this unique international monetary scheme has its polarized fans and...
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April 2, 2008...Emcore Corporation, a pioneer in solar power markets located in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, was awarded a $4.6 million follow-on production order for solar cell receiver assemblies (essentially solar cells with packaging) from Concentration Solar la Mancha of Manzanares (Ciudad Real), Spain. The receivers will be incorporated into CS la Mancha's 500X concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system (which houses the optics and electrical connections that will attach to separate packaged solar cells), and they will be deployed throughout Spain and other locations in fully licensed and funded projects. Shipments are scheduled to begin in the September quarter and complete in early 2009. CS la Mancha, part of Renovalia Energy, a renewable energy company in Spain, has been developing the CPV system for almost two years, and has recently started volume production and deployment.
David Danzilio, Vice President and General Manager of Emcore's Photovoltaics Division stated, "Our CPV receiver assembly continues to penetrate the market and we see increasing global demand for this product line. This order diversifies our customer base, a trend we expect will continue, as they transition their CPV systems from development to full-scale production.” He added, “We are currently expanding our production capacity for both solar cells and receiver assemblies at our Albuquerque facility and expect our second receiver production line to be operational in the June quarter. Emcore's continued technology and capacity investments will provide customers with an assured supply of this critical PV engine." Emcore News Release Ascent Solar Gains Cooperative Development Agreement After Production Line Meets Initial Operating Capability
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 2, 2008...Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. of Littleton, Colorado USA, reported reaching a definitive cooperative development agreement with ICP Solar soon after announcing that its production line met capacity and performance expectations. Under the terms of the agreement, Ascent Solar will provide ICP Solar with thin-firm photovoltaic (PV) material from its existing 1.5 MW production line in 2008 and 2009, and ICP Solar will at the same time develop, test, and integrate Ascent Solar's PV materials into ICP Solar's portable power and other electronic integrated PV products.
In addition to reaching initial operating capacity with its roll-to-roll manufacturing line, the company reported better-than-expected average efficiencies of 9.5 percent from the solar cells made on the production line. The company also indicated that production met its targeted uniformity standards of plus or minus approximately 3 percent across the width of the roll and plus or minus approximately 2 percent along its length. Ascent Solar says it plans to begin limited commercial production by the end of the second quarter of 2008, supplying development and test modules to customers in support of joint product development efforts currently underway. The company also will initiate product certification activities in the that time frame. Ascent Solar News Release.
ICP Solar CEO and Chairman Sass Peress stated, "Placing the PV material and modules on flexible, lightweight, plastic substrate materials allows for manufacturing of similarly lightweight and flexible solar panels, which will expand our new product development opportunities.” Ascent Solar News Release RFMD Wins TianYu's Strategic Partner Award for 2007
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 2, 2008...Tian Yu, a dominant manufacturer of mobile devices in China, has awarded RF Micro Devices Inc., its 2007 Strategic Partner Award, for supplying cellular front ends. RFMD received one of four Strategic Partner Awards presented by TianYu, with three other awards granted to suppliers of cellular basebands, camera sensors and LCD panels.
Rong, Xiuli, President of TianYu, stated, "TianYu greatly appreciates RFMD's ability to deliver products of the highest quality and reliability, and we are pleased to present this award in recognition of their support. As the leading provider of cellular front ends, RFMD demonstrates a strong commitment to performance, product quality and on-time delivery, all of which are critical metrics to TianYu."
Paul Augustine, general manager of RFMD's Components Solutions Business Unit, noted, “In 2008, we will launch multiple products, including our RF4180 PowerStar(R) dual-band GSM/GPRS transmit module, that lower costs, ease implementation, reduce size and accelerate time-to-market for leading customers such as TianYu." RFMD News Release M-Com of Selects Veeco MOCVD Tool for Production of Multi-Junction Solar Cells
CompoundSemi News StaffApril 2, 2008...Veeco Instruments Inc. of Woodbury, New York USA , announced that Millenium Communication Co. Ltd. (M-Com) of Hsinchu, Taiwan has ordered a TurboDisc E450 arsenic phosphide (As/P) Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) System for production of high-efficiency III-V compound multi-junction solar cells.
Lih-Wen Laih, Ph.D., General Manager of M-Com, said, "Our decision to add Veeco's E450 System to our fab was based on the tool's high throughput and ability to produce exceptional high quality films, which we believe will translate into higher efficiency multi-junction solar cells. We expect that adding this tool into production will help us to reduce our cost per chip ten-fold, which is critical as we continue to gain market share in the photovoltaic cell market."
Veeco News Release
GaAs Device Demand from Digital Cable to Grow Through 2012, Strategy Analytics Says
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 31, 2008...Research analysis firm, Strategy Analytics (SA) of Boston, Massachusetts USA, predicts that gallium arsenide demand from the digital cable market will grow continuously over the next five years as cable networks switch to digital and high definition platforms. SA revealed the predictions in its latest forecast entitled, “GaAs Device Demand from Digital Cable Markets 2007-2012.” From 2007 to 2012, SA contends that GaAs device demand from digital cable markets will grow at a compound annual average growth rate (CAAGR) of 11 percent. SA says that the rollout of digital cable infrastructure accounted for 57 percent of GaAs device demand in 2007. SA forecasts that this proportion will increase to 67 percent of demand by 2012.
“Cable infrastructure applications, namely line amplifiers and hybrid amplifiers will continue to constitute the main demand for GaAs MMICs for the next five years,” observed Asif Anwar, GaAs Service Director. “These products are used in the cable infrastructure networks as system amplifiers, line extenders and fiber nodes.”
“GaAs demand will grow in set-top boxes, with multiple tuners driving demand,” added Stephen Entwistle, VP of the Strategic Technologies Practice. “However, silicon technologies will continue to dominate, limiting overall CAAGR for GaAs devices to no more than 5 percent over the next five years.” Company News Release
Sunovia and EPIR to Develop IR Technology in Collaboration with Army Research Laboratory and BAE Systems
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 31, 2008...Sunovia Technologies and EPIR Technologies have established a joint cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and BAE systems for the development of advanced infrared technologies for night vision surveillance.
Sunovia and EPIR have exclusively partnered to commercialize solar and the similar infrared (IR) technology for the renewable energy and night vision applications.
Sunovia insists that IR technology is very similar, but IR is a much more precise and complex science. Sunovia notes that IR devices absorb non-visible light, convert the light to electricity, and then 'pixelize' the electricity to create an image. Solar devices on the other hand, absorb visible light, convert the light to electricity, and then store (or spend) the electricity. The companies are working to combine numerous IR and solar II-VI material layers in order to achieve maximum light absorption from the different light intensities and different light spectra.
The goal of the CRADA is to develop a method to use EPIR’s IR detecting MCT material on a silicon substrate instead of the currently used and more expensive cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) substrates. In addition the project hopes to increase processing yields.
Sunovia and EPIR plan to use the project to become a U.S. supplier of MBE grown MCT. BAE Systems hopes the technology from the project will go into production of IR detectors and focal plane arrays. Under the agreement, BAE systems will receive the processing technology developed for the ARL. Sunovia News Release After Year of Strong Growth, Kopin Plans to Diversify III-V Product Offerings
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 31, 2008...Kopin, a company known for its display technology reported a 38 percent increase in revenues for 2007 compared to revenues of 2006. Total revenues increased 38% to a record $98.1 million, exceeding the Company's guidance of $90 million to $95 million.
During the quarter the company expanded its production capacity, adding three metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems for its III-V product line. Kopin says it hopes to diversify its product offering. It hopes to eventually develop III-V products for wireless handsets, cell phones, and mobile radio, in addition to developing solar cells for energy applications.
Dr. Fan commented, "With our recent installation of three of the world's most advanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactors for our III-V product line, the expansion of our III-V manufacturing capacity is now essentially complete. By consistently producing 6-inch III-V wafers with superior uniformity, these new systems strengthen our capability to develop products for not only the wireless handset market but also for emerging applications..."
He continued, "We believe our new systems are ideal to produce the yield and uniformity required for HEMT structures and the performance and efficiency necessary for solar cells.” Company Financial Results. Energomera Acquires Atlas PCF, Another Sapphire Manufacturer
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 31, 2008...Energomera Corporation, a dominant industrial group of southern Russia and the owner of Monocrystal, a maker of synthetic sapphire wafers, have reported the acquisition of Atlas PCF, another Russian sapphire manufacturer. Energomera says that Monocrystal and Atlas are renowned for their synthetic sapphire and are both leading sapphire substrate suppliers for high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) and radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) as well as sapphire optics for special applications. Furthermore, Energomera says that the companies’ products are highly complementary in the global market and will add to Energomera’s product portfolio, and the addition of Atlas will add to Energomera’s customer base. Similarly, Energomera says that the integration and cooperation between the two companies in R&D, production, sales, and marketing activities will forge a synergy leading to cost reduction, new products development, and improved customer satisfaction.
“The acquisition of Atlas gives rise to the largest synthetic sapphire crystal growing and processing company in the world in terms of production capacity. This is a part of our strategy to develop stronger presence in compound semiconductor market,” said Vladimir Polyakov, President and Chairman of Energomera. Energomera News Release CIGS Thin-Film Solar Cell Record Makes it Competitive with Silicon Efficiency
CompoundSemi News StaffMarch 26, 2008...Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have achieved 19.9 percent efficiency with a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell. In doing so the researchers came close to a record set with a multicrystaline silicon solar cell of 20.3 percent efficiency. The The energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell is the percentage of sunlight converted by the cell into electricity. As the NREL noted in their news release, thin-film solar cells require less energy to manufacture and can be attached to a low-cost backing such as glass, metal foils, high temperature polymers, or stainless steel sheets. This allows would allow them to be used in roof shingles, windows, and siding. The cells are also of interest for space exploration because of their light weight.
“This is an important milestone,” said NREL senior scientist Miguel Contreras. “The thin film people have always looked for matching silicon in performance, and we are reaching that goal.” Contreras indicated that researchers were able to set the world record and boost the output power from the cell because of improvements in the quality of the material applied during the manufacturing process. NREL News Release Engineer Gets Long Prison Sentence for Attempting to Export Naval Technology Secrets to ChinaMarch 26, 2008...Chi Mak, a 65-year-old former engineer for defense contractor Power Paragon and naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 24 and one-half years for conspiracy to obtain and export U.S. naval technology to China. Among other information that he was found guilty of exporting to China, was information about power switching technology for nuclear submarines, and information about the future of power electronics. Though not precisely stated, the technology most likely includes compound semiconductor-based power electronics. According to the report from an FBI investigation, Chi Mak put the sensitive information onto a CD-ROM. He and his wife gave the discs to his brother Tai Mak. Then Tai Mak’s son Yui “Billy” Mak encrypted the discs. The discs were found on October 28, 2005, when Tai Mak and his wife, Fuk Heung Li, attempted to board a flight to the People’s Republic of China.
Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, stated, "Today's 24-year sentence is a fitting punishment for an American citizen who was convicted of working clandestinely on behalf of China in an effort to steal critical information about the U.S. Navy's current and future warship technologies. His prosecution demonstrates our ongoing resolve to use the criminal justice system to protect America's military secrets." U.S. District Court News Release Sharp to Develop 400 mW Pulsed Operation Blue-violet Laser DiodeMarch 26, 2008...Sharp reports it hopes to develop a more powerful blue-violet laser diode that puts out 400 mW by 2009, according to a Nikkei Electronics article. The laser diode would be compatible with 8X or higher double layer discs. The company also hopes to decrease the size of the of blue-violet laser diode modules.
Sharp released a blue-violet laser diode with a light output 250 mW with pulsed operation in February 2008. The company plans to mass produce the 250 mW blue-violet laser diodes in April 2008. These laser diodes can reportedly perform 4-6x high speed recording on double layer discs.
A 300 mW product is scheduled for release in 2009, and a 400 mW is expected to be released by about 2010.
The article indicates that the company hopes to reach its increased output power goals through improvements in technology of the end surface from which the laser beam is emitted, the crystal growth technology, and the ridge formation technology. The article points out that the company will use CAN packages for all of its blue-violet lasers because the short wavelength can break down air and contaminate the diodes (thereby shortening its life), unless they are in an airtight CAN package. Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
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The
McDonald Report
Commentary & Perspective...
Investigating Environmental "Offset" Opportunities
Jo Ann McDonald, founding editorApril 2, 2008...Is there a role for compound semi
industry companies and labs that are working on "renewable energy"
projects in the relatively new CO2 offset program? What??? You don't know about
CO2 Offsets, sometimes known as Renewable Energy Offsets? While this unique
international monetary scheme has its polarized fans and critics, it is undeniably
real and growing in popularity throughout the world. And, it just might present
an opportunity for CS companies and labs to tap into a totally new source of
funding and sales.
Not having much knowledge about CO2
offsets--other than jokes about hypocritical politicians who fly around emitting
carbons on their way to hug another tree--I became intrigued to learn more about
the topic after chatting with a loyal reader of The McDonald Report who
called to my attention that... "There's an entire industry
out there now all built around carbon offsets!"
Having been one of the early catalysts in unilaterally declaring the compounds (or
"CS" for short) a stand-alone industry, I looked forward to
seeing what the polluters of old came up with now to ease their guilt. Granted,
if I listened to the world news more, I'd probably be better informed, but the
news these days is generally so depressing, it isn't hard to tune it all out.
But Googling is the way to go these days, anyway. I found there are even trade
shows for offsetters, so I guess it has indeed expanded to become a stand-alone
industry. The first thing I found, of course, was that popular interactive online
encyclopedia that readers can input and update. In this case, the explanation
turned out to be fairly objective and definitely thorough, thus providing a
good start.
The whole thing evidently got started
with the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. It turns out that a carbon offset is
actually a financial instrument representing a reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions, of which there are six, but the one this instrument focuses
on the metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) emitted. One
carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide,
or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases. According to the overview:
"Offsets are typically generated from emissions-reducing projects. The
most common project type is renewable energy, such as wind farms, biomass energy,
or hydroelectric dams." It goes on to explain:
"Carbon offsetting as part of
a 'carbon neutral' lifestyle has gained some appeal and momentum mainly among
consumers in western countries who have become aware and concerned about the
potentially negative environmental effects of energy-intensive lifestyles and
economies. The Kyoto Protocol has sanctioned offsets as a way for governments
and private companies to earn carbon credits which can be traded on a marketplace.
The protocol established the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which validates
and measures projects to ensure they produce authentic benefits and are genuinely
"additional" activities that would not otherwise have been undertaken.
Organizations that have difficulty meeting their emissions quota are able to
offset by buying CDM-approved Certified Emissions Reductions. The CDM encourages
projects that involve, for example, sustainable power generation, changes in
land use, and forestry, although not all trading countries allow their companies
to buy all types of credit."
There's much more on that resource
document, which you can read should you want more, but from there I found
myself instinctively going to the main source, which apparently is the official
United Nation's CDM site. As
the CDM
backgrounder points out, the so-called Clean Development Mechanism
is loaded with complicated details and acronyms (but hey, we're used to that)
but in simplified form it works this way: Industrialized countries pay for projects
that cut or avoid emissions in poorer nations -- and are awarded credits that
can be applied to meeting their own emissions targets. The recipient countries
benefit from free infusions of advanced technology that allow their factories
or electrical generating plants to operate more efficiently -- and hence at
lower costs and higher profits. And the atmosphere benefits because future emissions
are lower than they would have been otherwise." The bold type is my doing,
because at firs pass, that phrase seemed to support my thesis, which is that
CS companies and labs may have a chance of getting in on the action, at one
or more levels of involvement.
The CDM backgrounder went on to explain
that the system also appeals to private companies and investors, pointing out
that the mechanism is meant to work bottom-up -- to proceed from individual
proposals to approval by donor and recipient governments to the allocation of
"certified emissions reduction" credits. Countries earning the credits
may apply them to meeting their emissions limits, may "bank" them
for use later, or may sell them to other industrialized countries under the
Protocol's emissions-trading system. Check out this part: "Private firms
are interested in the mechanism because they may earn profits from proposing
and carrying out such work and because they may develop good reputations for
their technology which will lead to further sales. A possible benefit for everyone
is that the potential for profits may lead these businesses to develop even
more useful technologies."
If that isn't an invitation to go
hat in hand knocking on a CO2 offset door, I don't know what is. And there's
more (much more), but given that the companies and labs I have in mind are working
on CS solar and/or solid state lighting (SSL), and that the now catchy buzz
term "renewable energy" is all over the place these days (huzzah!)
the following, which is noted above, caught my attention in that the phrase
seems key to the point of this column: "Renewable energy offsets commonly
include wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power and biofuel. Some of these
offsets are used to reduce the cost differential between renewable and conventional
energy production, increasing the commercial viability of a choice to use renewable
energy sources." From that I deduce that you should stamp "Renewable
Energy Offsets" to the foot you stick in the door rather than simply "carbon
offsets." Somebody should also make sure SSL gets added to the list of
"common renewable energy offsets."
I don't have a clue how to get started
tracking down the actual money and getting in the queue to enjoy the benefits,
but it sounds to me like something a good in-house or out-house market research
person could handle. And if you either already know about how our CS world fits
in with the offset scheme, please clue me in further. If you too are new to
the notion and go off and do the due diligence, please include me in the update.
My instinct tells me there is indeed money of some sort on the table for the
good guys in all this, and falls into the realm of revenue creation in a manner
not unlike government contracts. Lots of red tape, but possibly lucrative in
the longrun, especially when it comes to opening doors in new markets within
developing countries. For sure your supporters, investors and/or shareholders
will be impressed that you're at least looking into it. Good luck if you do,
and let me know how it turns out.
If you have questions about the
solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or have news
or views to share, I'm Jo Ann McDonald, Editor of LIGHTimes and CompoundSemi News.
Feel free to contact me directly, anytime. 
My direct tel at the ranch is
+1-325-463-5345
From time to time Jo Ann may comment on companies in which she holds a
modest investment - be sure to read
her disclosure at some point in time... |
