SoloPower, a San Jose, California-based manufacturer of flexible thin film solar cells and modules, announced that its next generation panel has achieved an aperture area efficiency of 13.4%, a record for flexible copper, indium, gallium and (di)selenide (“CIGS”) based modules.

• 13.4% Aperture Efficiency confirmed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• SoloPower plans to build a large scale manufacturing facility with a capacity of 400 MWp

The measurements were made by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The announcement comes at a time when SoloPower is hiring engineers and technicians for its state-of-the-art, high-volume manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon, which will begin commercial production later this year. SoloPower’s operations in Portland are ultimately expected to have a capacity of 400MW and employ 450 people.

SoloPower uses innovative manufacturing technology to produce low-cost, high-efficiency CIGS-based photovoltaic cells. The CIGS cells are then packaged into unique, flexible, lightweight solar modules.