NJIT received today from Apollo Solar Energy, Inc. a three-year, $1.5 million grant to establish a solar research center. The company, based in Chengdu, the People's Republic of China, mines and refines tellurium (Te) and high-purity tellurium-based metals for specific segments of the global electronic materials market.
"The new solar research center will focus on improving the applications of Cadmium telluride semiconductor materials for use in thin-film solar cells," said Donald H. Sebastian, PhD, vice president of research and development and interim provost. "Solar arrays using thin-film technology have already proven to reduce the cost per watt to one-third of the cost of conventional systems. Through diligent improvement in the production process, cost and quality can rise to make solar power a legitimate contender for much more than the small percentage of global need that is now projected for photovoltaics.
Apollo Solar Energy, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Sichuan Apollo Solar Science & Technology Co., Ltd., is primarily involved in the production of Te-based compounds used to produce thin-film solar cells, cell modules, and solar electronic products.
The company's products include ultra-high purity Te to manufacture radiation and infrared detectors; CdTe thin film compounds for the production of thin-film solar electric power modules; and other commercial-purity metals, such as selenium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium, and zinc for applications in various electronic material market segments comprising PV, radiation detector, and infrared detection. It markets and sells its products through direct sales to customers in North America, Japan, rest of Asia, and Europe. Apollo Solar Energy, Inc. is headquartered in Chengdu, the People's Republic of China.