By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Ikhwan Hashim

BANGI, 15 Mar 2016 – A new process to manufacture photovoltaic (PV) cells for the Solar Energy industry has the potential to be made into a cottage industry for rural communities, said Prof Datuk Dr Kamaruzzaman Sopian, the Director of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Prof Kamaruzzaman was inspired by an idea mooted by the then Nobel Laureate-In Residence at UKM Prof Muhammad Yunus – to create small start-ups to help the rural poor be involved in businesses.

The new method to fabricate PV, he said, will make it plausible for rural communities to be taught to produce the components

“For instance, the usage of Xylene Nitride, which is toxic to workers during the fabrication process, has been eliminated in this new method, which makes it safer for people to be involved in the industry.

“Aside from being safe, the new process is also more economic, by up to 30% and simpler than the previous system,” he elaborated in his presentation at the Sustainability Talk For Green Competencies, recently.

 “However, we still need to identify start-up companies which are willing to invest in the enterprise,” he said.