US solar executives visit mainland

The Arkansas-China solar connection is heating up.

The CEOs of two cutting-edge high-tech Arkansas solar companies are heading to China to strengthen partnerships with Chinese manufacturers and promote the building of facilities in the US.

Douglas Hutchings of Picasolar Inc and Corey Thompson of WattGlass Inc were joined by Yang Luo-Branch of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. They are scheduled to arrive at Yingli Green Energy in Baoding, Hebei province on Monday, and from there will visit Shanghai.

"The timing is interesting," said Yang Luo-Branch, as Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson had just completed his third official trade mission to China prior to US President Donald Trump's first state visit to China last week.

"I am excited about all the meetings and the warm reception we have been receiving already, but nervous about how much we are packing into a single week," Hutchings told China Daily.

Picasolar Inc has developed a process to improve the efficiency of solar cells, while WattGlass Inc has an anti-reflective and anti-soiling glass coating to increase the amount of light that reaches the solar cells. The two technologies are complimentary, and both companies are funded by the US Department of Energy.

Yingli Green Energy is one of the world's leading solar module manufacturers and has partnered with the two US companies to leverage their technological innovation.

In addition to Yingli, the two companies are working with several well-known Chinese solar manufacturers in an effort to bring down costs.

Corey Thompson (center), CEO of WattGlass Inc, Douglas Hutchings, CEO of Picasolar Inc, and Yang Luo-Branch pose for a photo in front of the gate of Yingli Green Energy in Baoding, Hebei province. Photo provided to China Daily.

"The goal of our trip is to finalize the production plans for the equipment and coordinate getting the equipment to our manufacturing partners," said Hutchings.

Hutchings said it was too soon to comment on the terms of the deal, but he did say that the Picasolar technology is expected to improve module energy output by more than 5 percent.

WattGlass' coating would not only provide a 3-to-5 percent improvement in efficiency, but also drastically reduce the cost to operate a solar farm, due to not having to clean the panels as often.

WattGlass has also developed the chemistry for completely water-based cleaning while the competition uses solvents that pose problems for storage and waste disposal.

"The Chinese manufacturers we work with have expressed interest in building manufacturing in the United States when the time is right," Hutchings said.

Hutchings called the transition from traditional energy sources to advanced energy sources "the largest wealth creation opportunity of our time".

"Trillions of dollars will be spent over the coming decades," he said, "and I want to make sure that I participate, that our partners participate, and that Arkansas participates in that opportunity."

He said China has demonstrated its determination to be a leader in this space and he hoped the US would match that drive.

yuanzhang@chinadailyusa.com