Tomorrow's Energy Today
Imagine solar electricity not only powering businesses, large-scale utilities and neighborhoods, but also billboards, streetlamps and portable electronics. Sharp's commitment towards environment-friendly products brings you tomorrow's energy today

http://solar.sharpusa.com/solar/home/0,2462,,00.html

RAPID GROWTH REQUIRES EXCELLENT >MANAGEMENT. Q-CELLS AG HAS BEEN >PROFITABLE SINCE ITS FIRST FULL YEAR >OF OPERATION.

Founded at the end of 1999, Q-Cells AG began with the production of silicon solar cells in the summer of 2001 with only 19 employees. By the end of 2007, approximately 1700 people were employed at Q-Cells; the company is now the largest solar cell manufacturer in the world. In order to strengthen our position in the worldwide market, we will further expand our production site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen/Germany and start the construction of our new Malaysian production facility. Beside the mono- and polycrystalline core business we develop and produce thin-film modules, using different technologies. In the coming years we want to continue to grow faster than the market in terms of turnover and production capacity.

http://www.q-cells.com/cmadmin_2_478_0.html

THE ENERGY OF THE SUN SURPASSES <>HUMAN NEEDS 7,000-FOLD. WE EXPLOIT <>THIS INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE.

While the oil, gas and coal reserves continue to decline, photovoltaics is developing from a niche application to an alternative to conventional energy production that is used throughout the world, providing a growing share of the power supply. In nine of ten solar systems, this is based on silicon technology. Silicon is gained from quartz sand in several melting and cleansing steps. The liquid silicon is cast into blocks. These blocks (ingots) are cut into thin discs, the so-called wafers.
http://www.qcells.de/cmadmin_2_491_0.html
Q-Cells buys these wafers and processes them into solar cells. To this end the wafers are cleaned with acids and alkaline solutions and electrophysically altered. Finally an anti-reflection film made of silicon nitride is applied to them to increase their efficiency. In a last step the electrical contacts are attached. Q-Cells sells the finished cells to solar module manufacturers.