Vanguard Solar to be Acquired by Natcore Technology

Vanguard Solar has been working on developing a thin-film, flexible photovoltaic material having high efficiency. Vanguard Solar has utilized a patented chemical-bath approach much similar to the liquid phase deposition (LPD) technology of Natcore Technology.

Vanguard Solar has been focusing on growing II-VI compound semiconductor thin films on top of carbon nanotubes at ambient pressure and room temperature, whereas Natcore Technology has been developing silicon dioxide films on top of silicon substrates.

The first-generation products developed from Vanguard Solar’s method can achieve efficiencies of 15%-16% at module expenses of 60-70¢ per watt. The second-generation technology is likely to achieve efficiencies of 20% even at lower expenses. The investment for manufacturing plants is likely to be around $10-$15 million per production capacity of 100-150 MW, in comparison with existing expenses of $250 million for conventional solar-cell production plants.

Vanguard Solar has two patents that are pending in the areas of solar cell development, in addition to a range of optical sensors and photodetectors. Among the applications for these patent pending technologies are homeland security surveillance; biomedical sensors for testing and diagnostics; and manufacturing process controls and monitoring.