Local firm leads the way to a better solar panel

Published 12:43 pm Thursday, May 27, 2010

ARLINGTON — Snohomish County-based Silicon Energy’s solar-panel market is brightening — fast.

After 2-1/2 years of research and development work and certification testing, the company recently launched an innovative product that vastly improves on current solar panels in the industry.

Gary Shaver, president of the Arlington-based company, and his team discovered that putting the silicon wafers in a weatherproof glass shield protected them well from harsh weather, solved a long-time problem of flexing and breaking in high winds and snow loads, and eliminated debris from clogging solar panels and reducing their energy production efficiency.

Soon afterward, Silicon Energy LLC was certified as Washington state’s first manufacturer of photovoltaic solar energy modules.

Suddenly, the green energy marketplace began noticing Silicon Energy.

Puget Sound Energy bought panels for a sector of its Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center solar array east of Ellensburg, a venture linked to PSE’s adjacent windmill energy farm.

Then, Snohomish County government bought nearly 100 panels for its new $450,000 solar power installation that will cover 80 percent of the roof of the county’s western administration building when it’s operational in late June.

“We knew if we were going to come into the market and survive we had to have a different product. We needed to be unique to be differentiated and noticed,” Shaver said. “We also wanted a product that utility companies would see as high grade, but beautiful as well.”

Silicon Energy markets primarily through contractors the company trains and certifies to ensure installations are completed properly.

“Solar energy systems have always been thought of as being expensive, but they are now a good investment that you can also feel good about. The important thing is to invest in quality products,” he said. “This solar industry is maturing to new levels of quality that cities and schools can benefit from, too. Solar panels are just like putting miniature solar power plants all over.”

All of the recent attention naturally pleased Silicon Energy’s former parent company, OutBack Power Systems of Arlington, which is a leader in its own field of high-tech power centers, invertors, chargers, controls and installation hardware for renewable energy systems destined for remote regions throughout the world.

But Silicon Energy’s innovative design also caught the eye of Spectrum Renewable Investments in Irvine, Calif. Last January, Spectrum bought Silicon Energy, with OutBack Power Systems retaining a minority interest in Silicon Energy.

Spectrum, in turn, is owned by Newport Partners LLC, a company focused on developing, financing, syndicating and managing properties with tax credit subsidies for solar and wind projects and projects. Spectrum also closed a partnership earlier this year with Tainergy Tech. Co., making the Taiwanese solar cell manufacturer a major investor with Spectrum.

With the infusion of capital from Spectrum Renewable Investments — and the growing demand for Silicon Energy’s uniquely designed solar panels — the Arlington company saw the need for larger facilities. Within the next two months, the firm will move from its 14,000-square-foot quarters in Arlington, adjacent to OutBack Power Systems, to a much larger 27,000-square-foot facility a few miles away in a north Marysville industrial park at 3506 124th St. NE, a few blocks north of the I-5 and 116th Street NE interchange.

Shaver said Arlington city officials and the community have been supportive of the firm but the space the growing company needed wasn’t available there. Employment for the small firm has already increased from 15 to 20 people this year and more space was needed for increased solar panel production rates.

“The sale (to Spectrum) will facilitate Silicon Energy’s ability to significantly increase our manufacturing capacity to meet consumer demand in Washington, expand our product line offerings and reduce the costs of our products,” Shaver said, adding that the company also expects to introduce a solar system financing program soon to make the firm’s solar systems more accessible to customers.