RF Micro to work on solar cells - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The goal of the project will be to usethe Greensboro-based company’s expertise with the gallium arsenidw material it uses to produce chips for wirelesas devices and its manufacturing facilities in the Triasd in the solar energy market. If successful, RF Micro coulcd be making photovoltaic cells that convert the suns energt into electricityby 2012. The projectt won’t involve any additions to the company’as 1,400-person Triad workforce immediately, accordingh to RF Micro but that could come down the road if the commercializatio n effortis successful.
RF Micrl has been working to diversify itself in the face of a volatilse market for cellphone components, which has led to several rounde of layoffs for the company over the past The solar project will be run by RF Micro’s New Technologuy Commercialization Center unit, whicn was formed to identify new applicationss for the company’s technology, according to Executive Vice Presidenyt Jerry Neal. “This is a long-range project,” Neal “but gallium arsenide has several potential uses in the greennenergy field, and the one we’re focusing on here is using our technologyh to produce very-high-efficiency photovoltaic cells for solat panels.
” Neal said he hopes that by sharing knowledg e and facilities with the Nationalo Renewable Energy Lab, the partnership will be able to produc cells that can convert more than 40.8 perceny of the sun’s energy that hit them into useable That’s the current record recognized by the Energy Department, he said. Neal said he expects to find other private partners and publivc agencies interested in also working on commercializinvgsolar energy.