Solar cell production at Suniva boosts economy

In these economic times, many companies have seen dips in sales.That hasn’t been the case for Norcross-based Suniva, a manufacturer of high-efficiency silicon solar cells and modules. The company is sold-out through 2010 and is experiencing significant demand for its products both nationally and abroad.”Last year, Suniva exported more than 90 percent of its product to Asia and Europe,” said Bryan Ashley, Suniva’s chief marketing officer. “In fact, Suniva outsources none of its production [and] is the only U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency silicon solar cells that uses U.S. technology and U.S. production.”

Domestic production allows Suniva to employ a diverse American workforce–approximately a quarter of employees are military veterans and many others were hired from shuttered automotive plants.

The company’s high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules convert solar energy to useable direct current electricity. Suniva claims to have a low-cost method for creating solar cells that will make their solar energy cost-competitive with fossil fuels. That led to a No. 2 ranking in the Wall Street Journal’s Top Ten Venture-Backed Clean Technology Companies in 2010.

“[Suniva's] solar cells and modules create electricity directly from sunlight,” said Ashley. “The company’s mission is to make its products the sensible choice for creating clean, earth-friendly power generation.”

The sun emits power and once it reaches Earth in the form of sunlight, that power can be captured to create usable energy. Suniva produces a solar cell that can convert 18 percent of the energy from the captured sunlight into solar power at a competitive price point. These 18 percent efficient cells are currently on the market, with 20 percent efficient cells are currently in the laboratory.