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Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer Applied Materials Gets Into Solar Energy
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Applied Materials, the largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer in the world is getting into the business of clean technology and clean energy.
Applied Materials -- which is known as AMAT for all NASDAQ junkies out there -- is venturing into solar cell production, and I have asked Applied's CEO, Mike Splinter, to give a talk about this today at 1 p.m. in the Senate Energy Hearing Room.
The talk is "What a National Energy Strategy Should Include. . .From Silicon to Photovoltaics -- A NASDAQ Blue Chip's Trip into Solar Cell Energy Production."
If there are folks nearby who want to be TWN's guest for lunch and are close to Dirksen Senate Office Building 366 (like staffers who read the blog), come on over. The New America Foundation/American Strategy Program staff will clear you if you mention that you were invited by me.
We have about 60 folks attending -- and lunch will be served.
I'll be putting copies of the speech, and probably a video clip, on the blog later.
More soon.
-- Steve Clemons
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Reader Comments (6) - post a comment
Hi readers, hi Steve.
So the German "Solar"industry, very often mentioned in recent times if people wanna describe the clean german way and the progressiveness of our economy should speed up.
(it´s a trend to do so, but it´s true, that this kind of business is running very very well, also at the stock markets. Just look at all these new trendy fonds with renewable energy producers and so on.So now the trend is coming to the U.S.)
As the Variantions of Capitalism School describes, the U.S. firms are very good in making new innovations and attracting skilled personal, namely german engineers.
But i think, everybody will profit from more competition especially the research and so the progress of technology and so the people.
keep doing what you do
best regards from cologne
florian
"From Silicon to Photovoltaics" can be a pretty short trip considering the fact that most photovoltaics are made of Silicon!
A long-term extension of the solar tax credit would provide some certainty for manufacturers like Applied and for consumers. It would also encourage the growth of solar installation contractors and of community college programs to train contractors, the critical link between the manufacturers upstream and the consumers downstream.
In another semiconductor to solar angle - some unsed semiconductor fabs are being turned into solar factories. A German company - SolarWorld Group, bought a shuttered plant here in Oregon for $40 million - the original cost of building the plant was $500 million - what a bargain!
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/117281130745810.xml&coll=7
We've had semiconductor ability to drive fully electric cars since 1986, look how far that's come!
AMAT is a leading edge company whose main goal in enriching insiders. Everybody loves a guy whose worth is in the eight figures. Nobody plays the stock option game better except maybe Chambers at Cisco. (Cisco is THE partner in all government digital spying operations.)
If they can make money in solar fab equipment great.
The hidden downside to semiconductor based solar electric is the huge energy inputs required to make them. The net energy yield from solar cells is probably not what you think.
Recent developments in solar dyes bears close watching.
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