An Interview with Phil Mackey, Executive Manager
As published on Solar Power Daily News in Dallas, October 15, 2011

1.     What is Transform Solar's main line of business?
Transform Solar is bringing its solely owned, innovative SLIVER photovoltaic technology to market. We have substantial manufacturing assets in the U.S. and are backed by two major and complementary companies: Micron Technology and Origin Energy. We are in production and within the next 2–3 years will be scaling our SLIVER-based solar module production capacity to over 300 MW per year.

2.    What would you say makes your company unique?
SLIVER technology is a novel way to make bifacial, very thin, monocrystalline silicon solar cells. These cells are distinctively different; they are smaller, thinner, and more flexible than conventional cells. Using these points of differentiation, we can offer lightweight, flexible modules that better meet our customers’ needs because they are competitive in price and they deliver higher energy yields, better partial-shading performance, and lower module-to-module mismatch.

3.    Are you introducing any new products?
We just received UL standard certification for our SLIVER Series IV modules, and we are in the process of commercializing them globally. First shipments will be made to our distributors in Europe and Australia, and they will be showcased at SPI for the U.S. market.

We plan to introduce other new products in 2012—in particular, a lightweight flexible product with greater than 13% efficiency and a high-voltage module designed to unleash the simplicity and performance advantages of an all-parallel system design.

4.    How do you handle sales?
We sell SLIVER modules through select distribution partners. We have secured key relationships in Europe, Japan, and Australia, and we are currently building partnerships in the U.S.

5.    Who are your target end-users?
The key difference with SLIVER modules is their superior performance when systems encounter partial shading. For this reason, we intend to focus largely on rooftop applications. It is difficult for customers to be fully confident that some unforeseen source of shade won’t be a problem over the long life of their rooftop system. Our products decrease this risk while increasing confidence in long-term energy yields.

6.    Tell us about your trade show objectives, plans, products, promotions, etc.
We are showcasing our current products and prototypes of future products at our booth, 6809, at SPI. In particular, we are demonstrating novel concepts like an all-parallel design module and a lightweight, flexible module that fits metal/flat roofs without the need for penetration or heavy framing. These concepts leverage the unique features of SLIVER technology to deliver a better outcome to our customers.