this article appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . september 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message solarmer energy inc. type private industry solar energy renewable energy founded 2006 in el monte california founder edward t.j. chen woolas hsieh jennifer yu headquarters el monte california key people edward t.j. chen ceo woolas hsieh president number of employees 26 2009 . 1 website http www.solarmer.com solarmer energy inc. is a solar energy company that is developing polymer solar cells a new type of solar cell ; specifically a subtype of organic photovoltaic cells opv . they claim their solar panels can be made flexible transparent and will cost less to manufacture than traditional cells . 2 solarmer was initially founded in march 2006 to commercialize a portfolio of technology developed by prof. yang yang at the university of california los angeles and has since established its own facility in el monte california . 3 in addition to this portfolio solarmer also licensed the patent rights to a new semi conducting material invented at the university of chicago . 4 contents 1 technology 2 applications 3 production 4 see also 5 references 6 external links 6.1 news technology edit this section needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . september 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message solarmer s technology is based on using a semiconducting plastic as the active material in the solar cell which is what converts light into electricity . in contrast to other photovoltaic technologies this technology is capable of producing electricity using any kind of lighting although the lower the light the less electricity produced . however a major setback of this technology is the relatively low efficiency and more importantly lack of stability . 5 solarmer does have one of the highest efficiencies in the industry with 8.13 % july 2010 but this is still lower than other solar technologies . 6 researcher holding solarmer s organic solar cell the plastic active layer is extremely thin only a few tenths of a micrometer thick which is why these solar cells can be made both flexible and translucent . it is also part of the reason that the manufacturing process is likely to cost less since only very small amounts of material are needed to make these solar cells . the other reason is that the materials can be printed like inks in a much less capital intensive process than traditional silicon based solar cells . there are several different polymers that can be used as the active layer and these polymers come in a variety of colors . solarmer is planning to use this feature of the technology to make solar cells in different colors . 5 applications edit organic solar cells are also typically cheaper than conventional solar cells . solarmer claims that their organic solar cells could be used on any portable device that requires power as well as smart fabrics and building materials . 7 production edit solarmer is developing a pilot line capable of manufacturing opv samples and plans to initiate the process of component integration in 2009 . 4 they expect to complete their pilot line by the 2nd quarter of 2010 delivery of samples by the end of 2010 and product launch by early 2011 . 4 see also edit organic electronics printed electronics organic photovoltaic building integrated photovoltaics references edit plastic solar panels by solarmer plastic solar panels . solarmer . 2009 08 12 . retrieved 2009 09 01 . 1 . solarmer website . solarmer energy sees excellent potential for plastic solar cells . printed electronics now . 2008 11 26 . retrieved 2009 09 01 . a b c plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices coming soon . science daily . 2009 01 27 . retrieved 2009 09 01 . a b 2 . osadirect magazine . 3 . renewable energy world . 4 . solarmer website . external links edit company website news edit solarmer energy inc. breaks psychological barrier with 8.13 % opv efficiency solarmer breaks world records for plastic solar technology organic photovoltaics promise more solarmer energy inc. picks up speed in flexible solar panel development plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices solarmer energy sees excellent potential for plastic solar cells plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices coming soon retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title solarmer energy inc. & oldid 644909568 categories energy companies of the united statescompanies established in 2006companies based in los angeles county californiaorganic solar cellsphotovoltaics manufacturersel monte californiahidden categories wikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest from september 2009articles needing additional 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