Environmental Engineering Reference
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Few believe, though, that this is enough to close the gap, at least
not any time in the near future. Basic research takes decades to i lter
through to products in the marketplace. Really accelerating innovation,
many analysts and policymakers have argued, requires backing compa-
nies with innovative products that might be able to transform energy
systems much sooner. But this means governments need to pick par-
ticular i rms to support—which takes us right back to companies like
Solyndra.
MiaSolé i ts the bill too. h e i rm, headquartered in a drab Santa
Clara, California, oi ce park next to a string of data storage and com-
puter network outi ts, has staked its bets on thin-i lm solar photovoltaic
technology. Its modules are being made from copper indium gallium
selenide, a blend of materials that promises high ei ciency and, in a
crucial business twist, protection from rising silicon costs. MiaSolé is
engaged in innovation but is not doing much traditional R&D. It is
the sort of company that many are counting on to upend the energy
world.
Bob Baker embodies what MiaSolé is and what it isn't. A thirty-
two-year veteran of the semiconductor industry, Baker recently retired
from chip-giant Intel when MiaSolé made him its new president in
September 2010. When I meet with him at the company's headquar-
ters, a slab of l exible solar panels is spread out on the table, and another
heavier block stands against the wall. Rooms in the building have signs
with symbols from the periodic table for chemicals found in the i rm's
solar cells. We are sit ing in one labeled “Cu” for copper.
Baker's responsibilities at Intel included all of the company's man-
ufacturing and supply-chain activities. h at, he explains, was why
MiaSolé brought him on board. “h e i rst factory was coming up,”
he recalls. His big challenge was straightforward if daunting: “How
do you grow cost-ef ectively and compete with the Chinese jugger-
naut in crystalline silicon?” Soon at er he joined the i rm, he quickly
concluded that manufacturing wasn't the only challenge: “Commercial
was the issue. Great technology, great product, outstanding features,
but we didn't have a sales force.” h is was a far cry from the world
of research and development that most people assume the big solar
players are immersed in.
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