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Tech Valley News
Major Energy Research Project Heads to Area
The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC) - a public-private partnership - aims to be a major player in the rapidly growing solar energy research and development industry. Its initial research operation, to be based at a 300,000-square-foot at TechCity, in the town of Ulster, is expected to initially create 300-500 jobs with expectations that the project could create thousands of jobs in the region within the next several years.
TSEC is being called a not-for-profit solar consortium driven by industry, in collaboration with public, private, academic, environmental, labor and economic development partners. Its goal is to create fully integrated solar-powered systems that will revolutionize the way in which we receive our energy.
Researchers will look to double the efficiency of PV systems, cut the fully-installed system costs in half and simplify the PV system for integration into commercial products applicable to the transportation, construction, communications, electronics and military markets.
“The potential for this solar consortium is virtually unlimited,” said U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey. He said the group’s research will serve will serve as the base for the solar power industry in New York and as a solution to the country’s and world's energy issues.
The consortium is expected to receive $1.5 million in federal aid as part of an Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would be included in the 2008 federal budget. The Solar Energy Consortium is also seeking private investments to get started on research to make solar panels more efficient.
“These are at least our starting materials and we need to learn a great deal about them and understand the strengths and weaknesses,” John Harrington, vice president of research and development for the consortium and dean of the School of Science and Engineering at SUNY New Paltz, told The Daily Freeman. “How do you control them to optimize efficiency for shady days and interference? Doubling the efficiency is really a goal of trying to improve the ability of sunlight to become effective electricity,” Harrington said.
The consortium plans to reach out to researchers and scientists from both public and private universities, institutions and companies. Another resource for the consortium will be Albany NanoTech, a $3.5 billion, 450,000-square-foot facility that focuses on micro and nanotechnologies but also conducts environmental science and renewable energy research.
“The obvious area in research is trained scientists," Harrington told The Daily Freeman. “Physics, chemical engineering, material science, we'll need a cadre of folks very well trained in the basic sciences. It's a hands-on process and we'll need a whole spectrum of folks from basic and applied research, right down through to technicians. This is really going to take some great minds in the industry.”
The plan is for researchers and scientists to develop market-focused solar products and technologies. This research will then be distributed to partners and Albany NanoTech for further process development. The new processes will then be transferred back to TSEC for integration into new, cost-efficient packaging structures. Pilot manufacturing of these new systems will be developed in Tech Valley, tested in New York City and then distributed to large-scale manufacturing centers across the state.
TechCity comprises more than two million square feet of manufacturing and office space.
“Renewable energy is the wave of the immediate future, and we intend to ride it effectively,” Alan Ginsberg who owns TechCity said. He anticipates TechCity becoming “a renewable energy industrial complex, positioned well to serve forecasted needs for green construction materials.”
UPDATE
Congressman Maurice Hinchey announced that a $4 million investment from the U.S. House of Representatives has been secured for research and development at the planned Solar Energy Consortium.
The funds will be directed to C-9 Corporation, a company that plans to conduct its solar operation in partnership with TSEC. The company plans to conduct its solar operation out of FALA Technologies, Inc in Kingston and will collaborate with TSEC and serve as a link between the consortium and the federal government for future partnerships.
“These funds will help C9 and FALA Technologies perfect the needed research and development for silicon carbide-based solar and semiconductor products” said Frank Falatyn, FALA president and CEO. “FALA Technologies is very excited to utilize our extensive 60 year background in semiconductor equipment development work to now use these same skills in partnership with C9 researchers to create next-generation solar cell devices using this unique, new silicon carbide technology. Providing the R&D and production equipment to produce these new advanced solar cells is only the first step. With the future R&D assistance of The Solar Energy Consortium, these cells can be turned into solar modules and products that will have widespread use in DOD and civilian applications.”
“C9 will use this money to work with TSEC and perfect new solar products for our military, which will also be applicable for use in commercial products for all Americans,” Hinchey said. “Bringing C9 into the fold allows The Solar Energy Consortium to have a link to the federal government for future contracts and grants, which will help the consortium grow and bring in new jobs.”
C-9 currently has a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop silicon carbide-type semiconductors for the military. It is anticipated that the newly developed solar application technology will be used for civilian and commercial use as well.
The funding, which still has several legislative steps to go before becoming official, is expected to be available next spring. The $4 million would be in addition to $1.5 million for the consortium that Hinchey secured last month as part of an energy and water appropriations bill.
Project leaders say they have also secured $11.6 million from private sources.
Also, Empire State Development Corp., the state’s economic development agency, is making $1.5 million available to The Solar Energy Consortium. The money will be available to companies that relocate to Tech Valley. Empire State Development will evaluate each company on a case-by-case basis and will seek input from The Solar Energy Consortium.
The House and Senate approved $3.2 million for C9 Corporation to conduct solar research and development in conjunction with the consortium. The funds are part of the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. It now awaits President Bush's signature.
In December, Hinchey announced an academic union between The Solar Energy Consortium and five research universities in New York state including Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, SUNY Binghamton and SUNY New Paltz.
Organizers say the number of participating institutions could grow. Scientists at the universities are expected to work with the consortium to solve technical problems from within the solar industry that prevent more efficient and cheaper solar technology from going to the market.
“The scale and breadth of this academic consortium is unique in this country and in this industry,” Vincent Cozzolino, volunteer CEO of the consortium, told The Daily Freeman. “What is unique about New York state is, if it works here, it will work anywhere. We know how to do big projects here.”
“What we’re doing is focusing those folks interested in solar energy on companies who want to advance the state-of-the-art technology in solar, and help them solve their problems faster so we can get them to market faster, then we are going to work on the research to advance solar energy even further,” Cozzolino told Mid-Hudson News Network.
“What we are trying to do is work as closely as possible to these colleges and universities so they can provide us with the intellectual power they possess and the research ability to search into solar energy so we can make it as important and effective as can be,” Hinchey told Mid-Hudson News Network.
In another recent development, The City University of New York' Center for Sustainable Energy is partnering with The Solar Energy Consortium, allowing research and development conducted by the consortium to be delivered and implemented in the New York City market.
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