Company Overview

Hemlock Semiconductor Group, Dow Corning Corporation and Dow Corning Solar collaborated to donate a variety of solar panels to Michigan Technological University’s first-ever solar energy research facility. The Keweenaw Research Center dedicated the new facility at a ceremony on September 28, 2011. Hemlock Semiconductor representatives Dave Kraycsir and Stephen Trombley attended the dedication.

The Michigan Tech Solar Photovoltaic Research Facility includes an array of solar panels and an advanced energy-monitoring system at Keweenaw’s Engineering Design Building, near the Houghton County Memorial Airport. The new two-kilowatt system will generate enough energy to charge all of the electric snowmobiles competing in the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, held at KRC every March.

The facility will be used primarily to advance solar energy research and education. The complete AC module system which includes solar panels, microinverters and monitoring system represents a new way to harvest solar energy to make solar more affordable, productive and reliable.

Michigan Tech researchers will study the solar panels that were donated as well as the microinverters to evaluate the different designs and materials. Their research will enable manufacturers to develop higher-quality systems that are even more efficient and cost-effective. The facility will also provide opportunities for undergraduate work.

Billy Huss, global productivity manager for Dow Corning and a 1983 chemical engineering graduate of Michigan Tech said that student involvement is a key component of the project.

“Both Dow Corning and Hemlock Semiconductor are proud and happy to make this possible for the University, and we’re excited about the research potential,” Huss said. “But it’s equally important for us that the center will help Tech students learn about solar energy systems and prepare them for employment in the field. That’s a win-win-win situation, for the students, our industry and for society.”

About Hemlock Semiconductor Group
Hemlock Semiconductor Group (hscpoly.com) consists of several joint venture companies owned by Dow Corning Corporation, Shin-Etsu Handotai and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. Hemlock Semiconductor is a leading provider of polycrystalline silicon and other silicon-based products used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices and solar cells and modules. Hemlock Semiconductor began its operations in 1961.

Follow Hemlock Semiconductor Group on Twitter: twitter.com/hscpoly

About Dow Corning
Dow Corning (dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s Dow Corning® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States. Dow Corning’s global operations adhere to the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® initiative, a stringent set of standards designed to advance the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes.

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XIAMETER is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation.