March 7, 2008: Kaptur Announces Two Federal Awards For Solar Energy Research at UT

“Wecontinue to seek out ways to create partnerships to develop the alternativeenergy sector of the economy and grow jobs in Northwest Ohio,”said Kaptur, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Local costsharing contributions will bring the total value of the two projects to $4.5million, Kaptur said.

In one project, UT researchers will team withToledo-area industrial partners Calyxo USA and Pilkington to improvethe efficiency of current thin-film photovoltaic modules. A key resource in this $2.1 million projectwill be the testing facilities at UT’s new, state-funded Wright Centerfor Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

The otherproject, valued at $2.3 million, involves technology development at XunlightCorp., a new Toledo-based company that manufactures solar cells.