Energy Dept. picks Md. for solar project

NORTH EAST, Md., June 26 (UPI) -- Maryland-based Blue Square Energy will take part in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative, Photovoltaic Module Incubator Project.

BSE is a developer and manufacturer of silicon solar cells. As part of the Energy Department's Solar American Initiative, the company will receive approximately $3 million to address the challenges related to reducing the cost, improving the performance and expanding the manufacturing capacity of innovative solar technologies to move from small-scale to pilot production.

The announcement was made by Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman during his keynote remarks to the Renewable Energy Finance Forum of the American Council on Renewable Energy.

"The DOE's Solar American Initiative will accelerate the availability and adoption of solar energy in the U.S. and the world," said Jeffrey Barnett, founder and chief executive officer of BSE. "With this investment, we will be able to dedicate significant resources towards the commercialization of low-cost, high-performance crystalline silicon solar cells. Our talented team of researchers and engineers is proud to be a part of this project and is eager to get started."

Under the guidelines of the project, BSE will develop and manufacture high-performance thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells. Thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells are characterized by the growth of a high-purity silicon layer onto a low-cost metallurgical-grade silicon substrate.

The $60 million Solar America Initiative is aimed at increasing the use of solar power across the country. In addition to the PV Module Incubator program, the initiative will fund Solar America Cities, in which 13 cities will receive awards to promote increased use of solar-powered technologies and provide support for universities to research near-term improvements in solar products.