First Solar Inc., the largest maker of thin-film solar products, is licensing technology from Intermolecular Inc. (IMI) to improve the performance of its panels.
The deal extends an existing agreement. Ted Meyer, a spokesman for the Tempe, Arizona-based company, wouldn’t provide terms in an e-mail.
First Solar is seeking to raise the efficiency of its cadmium telluride solar-cells, the amount of energy in sunlight that’s converted into electricity. The company expects the partnership to yield “substantial gains” that go beyond previously announced plans, according to the statement.
The effort will augment the company’s existing research and development capabilities, enabling “better performance and faster time-to-market,” Raffi Garabedian, First Solar’s chief technology officer, said in the statement.
First Solar said Jan. 17 it reached an efficiency record of 14.4 percent using panels produced with factory equipment. Solar manufacturers are working to increase this rate to get more power from each panel and reduce the cost of solar energy.
Information from Bloomberg
