Spire Semiconductor to Develop 42% Efficient Concentrator Solar Cells

NREL awards Spire Semiconductor a contract to develop triple junction 42% efficiency concentrator cells.
Technology developed will provide the processing platform for Spire’s "Triathlon" series of commercial concentrator solar cells.

BEDFORD, Mass. -- April 6 2009 -- Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor, LLC, has been awarded an 18-month, $3,706,359 program by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), consisting of $2,960,850 in government funding and a $745,509 cost share. Under the contract, Spire Semiconductor will develop next-generation manufacturing technology to produce 42% efficient III-V three junction tandem concentrator solar cells.

Edward D. Gagnon, General Manager of Spire Semiconductor, stated, "We are pleased that NREL selected Spire to participate in this highly competitive Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program, whose goal is to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacture. Our new growth technique has the potential for producing concentrator cells with record-level efficiencies with lower manufacturing costs and higher reliability."

Roger G. Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation, added, "Spire has been involved in the solar energy market for over 25 years. Development of this cell will put us in an excellent position to capitalize on the growing market opportunity for custom gallium arsenide (GaAs) based solar cells for Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Our Spire Semiconductor facility has state-of-the-art capabilities for producing these devices. We plan to offer our new series of triple junction "Triathlon" concentrator solar cells to system integrators around the world."

About Spire Corporation

Spire Corporation is a global solar company providing turnkey production lines and capital equipment to manufacture PV modules and cells worldwide. Spire Semiconductor is a compound semiconductor foundry specializing in wafer epitaxy and device fabrication, including custom GaAs cells for solar concentrator systems. Spire Semiconductor also provides processing technology for Spire’s silicon solar cell manufacturing lines. For corporate or product information, contact Spire Corporation, "The Turnkey Solar Factory Company," at 781-275-6000, or visit www.spirecorp.com or visit Spire Semiconductor, LLC at www.spiresemi.com.

Contacts
Spire Semiconductor, LLC
Brad Siskavich, 603-595-8900
Solar Business Development Manager

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