Shell forms solar- panel joint venture

Shell and the construction materials maker Saint-Gobain have formed a joint venture, called Avancis, to produce photovoltaic panels based on copper indium diselenide (CIS) technology. The venture intends to build a 20-MW factory in Torgau, Germany, by the end of 2008. The companies say the nonsilicon CIS technology may someday compete with conventional sources of electricity. "Based on our R&D experience in Munich, where the laboratory line delivered record 13.5% efficiency, we believe this facility can achieve industry-leading performance among thin-film technologies," says Graeme Sweeney, who leads Shell's renewables business. The two firms agreed to the venture last February.