“I appreciate very much the freedom and flexibility that you implied in your donation. I am still thinking of all the ways that these funds can be used to enrich the solar activities I do,” said Dr. Carl Wamser, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Portland State University.

SCC provides technology and equipment for the solar energy market, including the production of raw materials to produce high purity silicon and silane for the manufacture of single crystal and thin-film solar cells. SCC is also helping their clients to complete the value chain through the delivery and application of the client’s products in the USA by SCC Solar. As a company, SCC is focused on fully integrating the various phases of solar energy production to maximize raw material and energy efficiency while minimizing impact to the environment. SCC’s is a leader in the quest for zero emission discharge and a more sustainable production model for all aspects of solar energy.

“We’re grateful for your partnership in expanding resources for the sciences, one of the University’s leading priorities. Philanthropy like yours helps to provide a high quality research and teaching environment. Your contribution will show a strong return in the years ahead as Portland State scientists continue to create new knowledge and find groundbreaking ways to apply it to industry, improve the quality of lives and sustain our planet’s resources,” said Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University.

“Collaboration with industry is an important component of our growth in research. I hope that you will find avenues for investigations and idea sharing with Carl and other scientists at PSU. Your gift to Dr. Wamser’s program will strengthen his ability to disseminate information about his work and lead to exploring a new area in solar research — the solar generation of fuel,” said Marvin A. Kaiser, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Portland State University.

“Our corporate goal is to develop and implement clean renewable solar energy while supporting the work being conducted locally that will provide valuable results for both Portland State University and SCC,” said Gary W. Phillips, president of Silicon Chemical Corporation. “We share a common vision for the future of solar energy.”

Portland State University’s ongoing solar activities include Carl Wamser’s lab, which works on organic solar cells based on conductive polymers. The long-term goal of his work is to produce inexpensive plastic films with solar activity (for either photovoltaic or solar-initiated chemistry). Funding from the National Science Foundation and others will power a project investigating the combination of green roofs and solar arrays; this is a collaborative project with Carl Wamser, David Sailor (Engineering), and Todd Rosenstiel (Biology). Also, three faculty members of the physics department carry out solar research on novel photovoltaic materials: Rolf Könenkamp (nanostructured semiconductors), Raj Solanki (silicon nanowires), Jun Jiao (carbon nanotubes).

As an outreach program, the PSU Photovoltaic Test Facility has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a site for comparing various photovoltaic technologies. Up to 11 different 1 kW arrays will be deployed, with data sent to the internet. The Photovoltaic Test Facility will work with OMSI to use the data stream for a renewable energy exhibit. In addition, basic research projects have been funded by NSF, DOE, ONAMI, BEST, and the PSU Sustainability Initiative.

About SCC

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, USA, Silicon Chemical Corporation (SCC) provides process technology, equipment and professional services for the electronic and solar industries. SCC’s core technology is the production of the raw materials to produce high purity silicon and silane for the manufacturing of single crystal and thin-film solar cells. SCC is uniquely qualified in these fields with SCC staff having over 100 years of experience in process development, design, construction, and operation of silicon related process facilities. Key technology areas provided by SCC include trichlorosilane (TCS) and silane production and purification, effluent gas recovery (EGR), waste chlorosilane treatment and HCl recovery, energy conservation, mitigation of site emissions and wastes using leading edge environmental equipment and controls.

As the solar industry continues to grow worldwide, SCC will be at the forefront of technological innovations in partnership with outstanding academic institutions. With our SCC Solar division, SCC provides a bridge for our present and future clients to market their products in the USA, which is rapidly becoming the leading market for the solar industry.