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Commercially viable solar-grade silicon derived from metallurgical
silicon purification will increase the availability of feedstock to the
photovoltaic industry, providing new options to ingot, wafer and cell
producers
Midland, Mich. – September 4, 2006 – Dow Corning Corp. today announced that
it has achieved a milestone in solar energy technology: a solar-grade (SoG)
silicon derived from metallurgical silicon that exhibits good solar cell
performance characteristics when blended with traditional polysilicon
feedstock. This new silicon feedstock material, Dow Corning® PV 1101
SoG Silicon, is the first commercially available feedstock produced from such
technology using large scale manufacturing processes.
For several years, the primary obstacle to the growth of solar energy has
been the constrained availability of silicon, the key raw material used in the
production of solar cells. Until now, the solar industry has relied on the
supply of polycrystalline silicon, a high-grade purity product, originally
developed for the semiconductor industry. This has meant that the solar
industry has in turn been subject to resource restraint. The launch of PV 1101,
produced from a very different route, will alleviate that restraint and offer a
new source of supply as well as new technical and business options for the
solar industry.
“PV 1101 is certainly one of the most innovative technologies to come along
in the solar energy industry since the manufacture of the first silicon solar
cells,” said Gaetan Borgers, director of Dow Corning Solar Solutions. “For
years now, the solar industry has hoped to be supplied by new sources of
silicon designed and dedicated to them. PV 1101 is a major step in that
direction. It is a step that will provide a means of growth for the solar
industry.”
“Dow Corning's PV 1101 SoG Silicon is offering new choices and new
perspectives for the photovoltaic (PV) industry,” said Rudy Miller, marketing
manager of Dow Corning Solar Solutions. “We can now offer the burgeoning solar
market two attractive supply options. Hemlock Semiconductor Corp., the
world’s largest supplier of polycrystalline silicon, of which Dow Corning is
the majority shareholder, is continuing to aggressively expand production
capacities for polysilicon. And now, our new breakthrough material is
presenting customers with different technology choice to meet their material
needs.
“This is the latest demonstration of how Dow Corning is solving both
technological and supply issues in solar energy. In the short term, PV 1101 SoG
Silicon meets the specifications of a growing customer base and helps to ease
the current imbalance between supply and demand. In the mid and long term, it
offers new options to the PV industry.”
The PV 1101 blend material has already been tested in independent institutes
and at several Dow Corning Solar Solutions’ customer production sites
worldwide. The testing showed that the blended feedstock material exhibits
performance characteristics similar to polysilicon in terms of solar cell
manufacturing and efficiency.
“Dow Corning has worked closely with several customers to test and qualify
our material,” Miller continued. “The results are very positive and we have
recorded a high interest for our product. Orders have already been placed.”
Dow Corning began bulk production of PV 1101 earlier this summer, and bulk
customer shipments began in August. Progressive ramping up of the PV 1101 SoG
Silicon production facility to full speed is currently in progress.
“While PV 1101 is certainly a breakthrough for the entire solar energy
industry, Dow Corning doesn’t plan to stop there,” added Borgers. “We are
continuing to develop next-generation materials and therefore more options for
our customers.”
PV 1101 SoG Silicon is a new milestone for the Solar Solutions Group at Dow
Corning. It is the first product manufactured at Dow Corning Solar Solutions
Group’s new production facility in Brazil.
While Dow Corning has been providing materials to the photovoltaic industry
throughout the company’s history, it created the Solar Solutions Group in 2001
to focus on development and commercialization of material solutions that will
improve cost effectiveness, material availability, durability and performance
of photovoltaic devices.
Dow Corning Solar Solutions Group provides materials and services for the
entire photovoltaic supply chain, from sand to sun™: from the basic
building blocks of silicon feedstock for ingots and wafers production to solar
module frame assembly and sealing materials. It is leveraging its unique
position and global leadership in the silicon value chain to deliver solutions
that will make a difference in the photovoltaic industry and help photovoltaic
producers fulfill the mid- and long-term promises of solar energy.
About Dow Corning
Dow Corning Corporation (http://www.dowcorning.com) is a globally
integrated provider of materials, application technology and services, and is
focused on providing innovative technologies that help its customers to invent
the future. For more information on Dow Corning Solar Solutions, visit http://www.dowcorning.com/solar. Dow
Corning Corporation is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW)
and Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW). More than half of Dow Corning
Corporation’s sales are outside the United States.
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