Prism Solar Sets to Start Panel Production in 2009

Prism Solar Technologies, which uses holographic films to convert sunlight into electricity, plans to start assembling the films into panels for market launch later this year.

The Lake Katrine, N.Y.-based startup, founded in 2005, is negotiating for a factory space near its headquarters to accommodate equipment that can produce 60 megawatts of panels per year, said Stephen Filler, director of business development at Prism Solar, Wednesday at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco. The holographic films will be made at its technology development center in Tucson, Ariz. The company also plans to build a 1-gigawatt factory in New York state to build the films.

The company recently won a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for starting its panel manufacturing operation. Prism Solar also plans to announce a new round of funding soon, Filler said. The company raised $8.5 million in 2007.

The selling point of the startup’s technology is that it uses holographic films to reduce the need for expensive silicon (see company diagrams). The holographic film, sandwiched between glass, can capture the desired portions of the light spectrum to boost energy production. The film then reflects the light in various directions, so the light can hit the front and back of the silicon-based solar cells to improve energy output as well, the company said.

Filler said Prism Solar’s technology could reduce the use of silicon by up to 70 percent. He declined to provide the initial pricing for a Prism Solar’s panel, but said the company expects the price to reach $1.04 per watt by 2012 and $0.75 per watt by 2015.