MAGAZINE EXALTS SOLAR CELL SYLMAR COMPANY MAKES TOP 100 TECHNOLOGY LIST.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer SYLMAR - They're on the rooftops of homes throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and on satellites encircling encircling (en·serˑ·k the Earth. Absorbing rays like a marathon sunbather, solar panels have become an alternative to traditional power sources. And as their uses become more mainstream, Sylmar-based Spectrolab is attempting to capture the spotlight. The company's solar cell solar cell, semiconductor devised to convert light to electric current. It is a specially constructed diode, usually made of silicon crystal. When light strikes the exposed active surface, it knocks electrons loose from their sites in the crystal. was selected by Research & Development Magazine as one of the year's 100 most significant technologies. ``We're very proud to be among the companies whose technology was selected. ... This honor recognizes products that are actually being developed, with real applications that benefit mankind,'' said David Lillington, Spectrolab president. R&D selected Spectrolab's triple-junction solar cell based on its importance, uniqueness and usefulness, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a list of criteria posted on the magazine's Web site. Spectrolab's solar cell is now among a number of prominent R&D award recipients, such as the automated teller machine automated teller machine (ATM), device used by bank customers to process account transactions. Typically, a user inserts into the ATM a special plastic card that is encoded with information on a magnetic strip. in 1973, the halogen lamp halogen lamp or tungsten-halogen lamp Incandescent lamp with a quartz bulb and a gas filling that includes a halogen. It gives brilliant light from a compact unit. in 1974, the fax machine in 1975 and the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch in 1992. Spectrolab, a subsidiary of Boeing, has generated attention for its product because of the amount of power it can produce in a relatively small cell. Triple-junction cells, which are the size of a fingernails, are better suited for industrial purposes instead of homes, Lillington said. They have the ability to withstand the energy of highly concentrated sunlight, converting 34 percent into electricity. The company recently received an order from Arizona Public Service Arizona Public Service Company is the largest electric utility in Arizona and the principal subsidiary of publicly-traded S&P 500 member Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE: PNW), which in turn had been formerly named AZP Group , the state's largest electrical utility, for solar cells that churn out 140 kilowatts of power, enough electricity to light up 100 homes. In California, Lillington said the energy crisis has sparked a lot of interest. However, he did not elaborate on some of the talks Spectrolab was having with various companies, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. . Guillermo Honles, architect of the DWP's solar group, acknowledged the discussions, but said there has been no progress. ``We had some talks with Spectrolab to install a couple of their systems ... but it's very expensive and the smallest system was around $200,000,'' Honles said. While the price tag is difficult to swallow for many seeking solar as an alternative power source, Lillington said only through education will the public understand the feasibility of solar. In some cases, it might take 10 years before a solar power system is cost-effective, he said. Spectrolab was founded in the 1950s by Alfred Mann, an entrepreneurial wizard who recently sold Northridge-based MiniMed Inc. and Medical Research Group to Minneapolis-based Medtronic Inc. for $3.7 million. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Spectrolab President David Lillington holds up some of the Sylmar-based company's triple-junction cells. John Lazar/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) A Spectrolab worker handles a solar panel using the company's triple-junction solar cells, each about the size of a fingernail fin·ger·nail n. The nail on a finger. , insert. |
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