Natcore, Kodak sign joint development agreement

RED BANK, USA: Natcore Technology Inc. has signed a joint development agreement with the Eastman Kodak Co. that will marry Natcore's unique combinations of materials and materials processing technology, including its exclusive liquid phase deposition (LPD) process, with Kodak's coating, formulation, drying and conveyance technologies.

The scope of work will encompass development of all of Natcore's thin-film photovoltaic technology, along with Natcore's advanced low-cost antireflection coating technology. The first emphasis will be on getting the nanostructured thin-film solar cell technology into commercial production.

The goal is to develop the roll-to-roll processing needed to make the flexible thin-film cell, verify it in Kodak's pilot line, design and build the commercial scale deposition equipment for insertion into one of Kodak's under-utilized film lines, and start commercial production. Natcore would initiate work on other projects as circumstances dictate.

The thin-film cells could lower the cost of producing solar panels to less than $0.50/watt and reduce array installation costs by 60 percent.

The work will be conducted at Natcore Research and Development Center, located in Building #308 at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, NY. On April 20, Natcore signed a lease for this space, where it will consolidate most of the R&D work currently underway at Ohio State University and Rice University.

Natcore continues its search for a manufacturing partner in the production of the thin-film solar cells developed through this agreement. Eastman Kodak is being strongly considered for that program, as are Asian alternatives. Natcore has stated its preference to keep the manufacturing in the US.

"We profoundly hope that we'll be able to manufacture at Eastman Business Park in Rochester," said Natcore president and CEO Chuck Provini. "As a public company, Natcore must make the best decision for its shareholders, and manufacturing in Rochester offers certain advantages to leverage existing infrastructure and expertise right here in the U.S. Nevertheless, we have to be realistic. We have to go where the funding takes us."