MELBOURNE, Australia and WUXI, China, June 1, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --The
Victoria-Suntech Advanced Solar Facility (VSASF) was officially launched today
in Melbourne, with the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change,
and Innovation, Gavin Jennings MLC, on hand to commemorate the event. The
facility, a collaborative venture between Swinburne University of Technology
and Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd (NYSE: STP), one of the world's leading
producers of solar panels, has been partially funded by a AUD3 million grant
under the Victorian Science Agenda Investment Fund. The collaboration will
provide a platform for the partners to commercialise NANOPLAS, a revolutionary
nanoplasmonic solar cell technology being developed at Swinburne.
Heading up the VSASF will be Professor Min Gu, Director of the Swinburne
Centre for Micro-Photonics, and Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO
as well as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and
Engineering. According to Professor Gu the group's strong mix of research and
business expertise will put them in a unique position to research, develop and
commercialise the innovative solar cell technology.
"This new NANOPLAS technology will allow for the efficient collection of
solar energy from a wider colour spectrum than cells currently being developed
in other laboratories," he said. "This could make them twice as efficient as
the current generation of cells, which would also make them significantly less
costly to produce and therefore to use."
Professor Gu said that a major advantage of the VSASF is that it will
allow Swinburne researchers to work closely with Suntech throughout the
research and development stages. This will ensure that the NANOPLAS technology
can be easily transferred to the production line and complement Suntech's
industry-leading Pluto(TM) solar cell technology.
Cooperation between Suntech and Swinburne began in April 2009 when the two
parties announced their partnership for the development of nanoplasmonic solar
technology. As an extension of that agreement, the VSASF is expected to
promote further cooperation among Australia's world-leading solar research
community and could potentially be a precursor to a Suntech production
facility in Australia.
"By combining Swinburne University's strong research capabilities and
Suntech's R&D and manufacturing platform, we can accelerate the development of
cutting-edge technologies to drive down the cost of solar," said Dr. Zhengrong
Shi. "As solar reaches grid parity, in Australia and around the world, we are
powering a revolution that will permanently redefine how the world uses
energy."
In recognition of his contributions to energy and environmental research
and development, Dr. Zhengrong Shi received an honorary doctorate from
Swinburne University following the VSASF launch event.
About Swinburne University of Technology:
Swinburne University of Technology has an international reputation for
quality career-orientated education and commitment to research. With a strong
teaching and learning program with applied vocational emphasis, Swinburne has
established many strong links with industry.
The university houses a number of globally recognised and innovative
research centres including the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing and
the Centre for Micro-Photonics. Currently under construction, Swinburne's
Advanced Technology Centre will bring greater research and teaching excellence
to the areas of optical physics, sustainable infrastructure and advanced
manufacturing.
Swinburne has more than 40,000 students and 2,000 staff across five
campuses in the greater Melbourne region, as well as strong international
networks through its campus in Sarawak, Malaysia. The university continues to
expand its reach by implementing innovative teaching and learning practices,
increased spending on infrastructure and developing global partnerships. For
more information visit http://www.swinburne.edu.au
About Suntech:
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP) produces industry-leading
solar products for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility
applications. With regional headquarters in China, Switzerland, and the United
States, and gigawatt-scale manufacturing worldwide, Suntech has delivered more
than 9,000,000 photovoltaic panels to over 1,400 customers in more than 80
countries. Suntech's pioneering R&D creates customer-centric innovations that
are driving solar to grid parity against fossil fuels. Suntech's mission is to
provide everyone with reliable access to nature's cleanest and most abundant
energy source.
For more information about Suntech's people and products visit
http://www.suntech-power.com .
Safe Harbor Statement:
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements
constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can
be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates,"
"future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements,
and includes the ability to commercialize NANOPLAS technology, the potential
for NANOPLAS technology to make solar cells more efficient, and the
establishment of a Suntech manufacturing facility in Australia. Such
statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Suntech's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual
report on Form 20-F. Suntech does not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
For Swinburne University of Technology:
Crystal Ladiges Media Relations Manager
Tel: +61-3-9214-5064
Mob: +61-0416-174-880
Email: cladiges@swin.edu.au
For Suntech:
Walker Frost
Senior Supervisor
Marketing & Communications
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86-21-6288-5574
Email: walker.frost@suntech-power.com
SOURCE Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd
