According to Natcore Technology, it has reached an agreement to acquire Vanguard Solar Inc., which is working on flexible, thin-film photovoltaic materials with an energy output comparable to that of silicon solar cells but with lower manufacturing and capital costs.
Vanguard is said to use a proprietary chemical bath process that is similar to a technology used by Natcore, which could allow the efficient development of new technologies.
Products from Vanguard are expected to generate up to 16 percent efficiency at first, while the second generation of technology is expected to rise to 20 percent efficiency with costs below 60 cents per watt. Natcore noted that Vanguard's technology also allows lower-cost manufacturing facilities to be developed.
Some potential applications that could be in the works, according to Natcore, include homeland security surveillance technologies, biomedical sensors, and manufacturing process monitoring and control.
Thin film solar technology has a number of other potential applications that could be developed in the future because of its flexibility and light weight.
