SAN JOSE, Calif. – Eight19 Ltd. (Cambridge, England), a spin-off from the University of Cambridge chartered with producing printed plastic solar cells, has announced it has commissioned a development and roll-to-roll printing facility at its headquarters.
The facility includes a multi-station roll-to-roll fabrication machine designed to create solar modules at a peak linear speed of over 3.6-km per hour. Eight19 did not indicate how much they plan to spend on the facility but the company did announce plans for a £5 million (about $8 million) funding round.
By using the new high-speed facility, Eight19 will be able to create low cost solar power generation that will be used in high volume industrial products as well as Eight19's pay-as-you-go solar system, known as IndiGo, for off-grid power generation in emerging economies.
Eight19's IndiGo – currently based on conventional solar cell technology – is being rolled-out in Africa and the Indian sub-continent. These products replace poorly performing kerosene lamps which contribute to ill-health and carbon footprint in emerging economies. The replacement market for kerosene lighting is worth over $38 billion world-wide, Eight19 said quoting a World Bank report.
"In the space of little more than 12 months, Eight19 has moved from a university spin-out to a leading developer of organic solar cell technology. The new high speed roll-to-roll facility underpins the company's strategy to create solar modules that can be manufactured economically for a wide range of energy generation applications," said Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of Eight19, in a statement.
Eight19, whose name derives from the time it takes sunlight to reach the earth, expects to have its first commercial printed plastic solar modules available in 2013.
Eight19 entered the Silicon 60,
EE Times' list of emerging startup companies at version 12.5 in April 2011, which is the subject of a detailed technology and employment digital edition which can be accessed via
http://e.ubmelectronics.com/Silicon60/index.htmlRelated links and articles:
www.eight19.com
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