| From: jmartin164 | 2/14/2013 4:21:27 PM | | | | | | Email from: Charles Provini, Natcore President
Dear stockholder,
I was extremely pleased to be notified by the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) that we have been named to their TSX Venture 50. The following news release, which we distributed this morning, gives you the details.
There were 2,258 companies listed on the TSXV as of 12/31/12. This honor puts us in the best-performing 0.8% of all of the listed companies.
I am often asked why Natcore chose TSXV as our platform to raise growth capital. The news release lists a few reasons. Here is some background.
Known until 2001 as the Canadian Venture Exchange, TSXV is owned by the TMX Group, which also owns the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
While TSX deals mostly with companies boasting larger capitalizations, the TSX Venture Exchange is a public venture capital marketplace for emerging companies, particularly in the mining, energy and high-tech industries, that have not yet met the assets and market cap requirements for listing on the TSX.
In the U.S., small startups have a steep uphill to climb. They are often relegated to the Pink Sheets, where there may be little trading, little visibility, and even less regulation. In addition, listing on the NYSE-AMEX requires a $50 million market cap, and a minimum $2.00 share price.
Best Regards,
Charles R. Provini |
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| From: jmartin164 | 4/14/2013 5:27:23 PM | | | | | | Natcore Technology which has been devloping black silicon in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, recently discovered another marketable solar cell enhancement its technology could facilitate. Natcore’s patented liquid phase deposition enables the creation of selective emitters, which have thicker doping under a solar cell’s front contacts to improve the electrical connections and lighter doping throughout the rest of the cell surface to reduce resistance.
Having diverse layers like that enhances solar cell efficiency.
A lot of companies and scientists have been working on developing the technology.
“But the only way anyone is really working on this is cutting through the material with lasers,” said Natcore CEO Chuck Provini. “And that’s not really working.”
It’s time-consuming and expensive.
New Jersey-based Natcore’s technology is perfect for the application, Provini said. And the company’s researchers have developed the application and are filing patents for it now.
“We ran the first selective emitter application last week,” Provini said. “And we’re hoping to have done our first selective emitter as early as (today).”
The road to commercialization for the selective emitter application could be a short one – shorter than the road for black silicon, Provini said.
“It’s quicker because it’s a little simpler,” he said.
Once Natcore perfects its process and can prove its concept, the company could be ready to start marketing its technology to solar cell manufacturers.
It should be a relatively easy sell because the way Natcore would package its technology, the application could replace an existing step that cell manufacturers have to do now anyway, Provini said.
He said the company should have more news about its selective emitter technology in coming weeks, but is also moving forward with its black silicon technology.
The first solar cell the company produced had a 1 percent efficiency, Provini said Natcore has gotten that above 14 percent.
“But now we’re just trying to build a better solar cell,” he said.
In reality, black silicon could be applied to any solar cell and increase its energy output without impacting its efficiency, which means a 20 percent efficient cell with black silicon will produce more electricity than a 20 percent efficient cell without it, which is the demonstration Natcore is working toward making.
cleanenergyauthority.com |
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| From: jmartin164 | 9/17/2013 10:36:06 AM | | | | | | Natcore Technology Issued U.S. Patent
(CNW) First Self-Powered Artificial Retina Could Allow Normal Visual Acuity and Restoration of Color Vision
RED BANK, N.J., Sept. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - The U.S. Patent Office has awarded patent no. 8,433,417 to Newcyte Inc. for a carbon nanostructure artificial retinal implant. Newcyte was purchased in 2009 by Natcore Technology Inc. (NXT.V; NTCXF.PK; 8NT).
"There are several other patents for artificial retinas," says Dr. Dennis Flood, Natcore's Chief Technology Officer and the inventor of the device. "But all of them have limitations. Some require the patient to have sight. Some restore only limited acuity, or the ability to detect motion or to distinguish between light and dark. Some are bulky and/or require prosthesis. Ours is a self-powered implant that doesn't require a camera, a transmitter, or any other external device. It would work as long as the patient's nerves are alive and only the rods and cones are affected. And it has the potential to be wavelength selective, so that color vision could be reintroduced to people whose only prospect now is a cloudy black-and-white."
The need for this artificial retina is substantial. According to the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), an estimated 15 million Americans have age-related macular degeneration (AMD). ASRS also says that retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease, affects one in 4000 Americans. Natcore believes that both of these disorders could be corrected with its artificial retina.
The Natcore retina comprises an array of carbon nanotubes, grown vertically on a substrate. The nanotubes are coated with a semiconducting material, in effect wrapping a solar cell around them, with the tips of the nanotubes exposed and arranged to extend into the ganglion nerves. When light enters the eye and is focused by the lens onto the artificial retina, a voltage buildup causes the nerves to fire, acting like a synapse and sending a signal to the brain. The coated carbon nanotubes act like rods or cones, the eyes' photoreceptors that convert light into signals that can stimulate biological processes.
The Natcore device would be surgically implanted. It would be a flat round disc with a diameter of approximately 4mm, roughly the size of a pencil eraser.
Dr. Flood has 33 years' experience in developing solar cell and array technology for both space and terrestrial applications at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where he served as Chief of the Photovoltaic and Space Environments Branch. He was moved to invent this artificial retina when his wife lost the macula of her left eye at a relatively early age due to a form of wet macular degeneration. His invention uses some of the same carbon nanotube technology already owned by Natcore.
"Given our recent advances with black silicon, the selective emitter and the flexible solar cell, we have an embarrassment of riches," says Chuck Provini, Natcore's president and CEO. "The path to commercialization for those three applications is now a relatively short one, while our artificial retina will require much more time. Because of its huge potential and the immediate need for it, we'll probably look for a joint venture partner, a licensee, or an outright buyer to take it to market."
Newcyte was founded by Dr. Flood and Prof. Andrew Barron, two of Natcore's co-founders.
Statements in this press release other than purely historical factual information, including statements relating to revenues or profits, or Natcore's future plans and objectives, or expected sales, cash flows, and capital expenditures constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in Natcore's business, including risks inherent in the technology history. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Except in accordance with applicable securities laws, Natcore expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact:
Chuck Provini
732-576-8800
Info@natcoresolar.com
www.natcoresolar.com
SOURCE Natcore Technology
/CONTACT:
natcoresolar.com
Copyright CNW Group 2013 |
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| From: jmartin164 | 10/15/2013 4:55:08 PM | | | | | | 2013 New Orleans Investment Conference
From C.Provini:
As you probably know, Natcore will have a substantial presence at this year New Orleans Investment Conference. Dr. Dennis Flood, our CTO and several members of our scientific team will be there as well as Tom and me. It is an excellent opportunity to visit face to face with the Natcore team, get updates on our progress and ask your questions. New Orleans is great this time of year, and the conference is extremely educational.
We hope you have the opportunity to make it there. And, if you do, we look forward to visiting with you at booth #190.
Regards,
Charles R. Provini
President & CEO
Natcore Technology, Inc.
87 Maple Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-576-8800, fax 732-576-8809
Email: provini@natcoresolar.com
www.natcoresolar.com |
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| From: jmartin164 | 10/25/2013 12:05:32 PM | | | | | | Natcore Technology Issues Progress Update
RED BANK, N.J., Oct. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Because Natcore Technology Inc. (TSX-V: NXT; NTCXF.PK) has added a meaningful number of new shareholders recently, the company would like to update new and existing shareholders about their progress in bringing their solar energy applications to commercialization.
Focused on the photovoltaic/solar industry, Natcore currently holds 16 granted patents and 21 pending patents. While the company is focused on earth-bound solar applications, their proprietary technology could address applications as mundane as coatings on eyeglasses or the inside of water heaters to sophisticated tandem solar cell technology used on satellites.
Because it is important for a small company to remain focused, Natcore recently convened a meeting of their scientific team, including their advisory board, to their lab in Rochester, NY with one purpose in mind: to review all of their technologies and potential applications, identify which of these applications the solar industry wants and needs, and prioritize that list in terms of applications with the most direct path to commercialization.
Included in this solar brain trust were Dr. David Levy, Director of Research & Technology; Dr. Dennis Flood, Chief Technology Officer; Professor Andrew Barron, Charles W. Duncan, Jr.-Welch Professor, Professor of Materials Science at RICE University; Dr. David Carlson, former Chief Technology of BP Solar and Dr. Daniele Margadonna, Chief Technology of MX Solar.
As a result of this meeting, Natcore identified three technologies (Black Silicon, Selective Emitter and Liquid Phase Deposition Passivation) needed by the industry that could reduce manufacturing costs, increase performance, or accomplish both. The company's technology could be instrumental in delivering these applications to the industry in a relatively short time frame.
-- Black Silicon is the etching of nano-sized pores into a solar cell
surface either through gold or silver nanoparticles. The resulting
surface acts as a replacement for the antireflective coating of
traditional solar cells. Natcore's scientists have become quite adept in
manufacturing traditional solar cells in their lab. They have also been
able to manufacture black silicon cells with the same or similar
efficiencies. They are now quantifying, both internally and through
third-party studies, the cost savings that this application would bring
to solar cell manufacturing by using black silicon instead of the
traditional anti-reflective coating. They expect to have these numbers
shortly.
-- Selective Emitter is a process whereby varying the thickness of doping on
a cell will improve the energy output and/or reduce resistance. This
application has the potential to increase efficiencies by 3%-5% relative
to current standards. Natcore has demonstrated that their Liquid Phase
Deposition films can provide a manufacturing-friendly process needed and
wanted by the industry. They have also invented technology that allows
us to easily pattern these films, a requirement for using them for a
selective emitter.
--Liquid Phase Deposition Passivation is Natcore's proprietary process that
allows surface passivation without utilization of a CVD furnace. This
potentially allows the passivation of some high efficiency solar cell
designs in a simpler and more cost effective way than can be done
currently.
These three technologies are stand-alone applications, although the common thread that makes them work is Natcore's Liquid Phase Deposition technology. Natcore feels that they will be able to begin the marketing phase with the Black Silicon application shortly.
In addition to these three shorter-term projects, Natcore is pursuing two major long-term applications in a tandem solar cell and a flexible solar cell. These last two technologies, although not as close to commercialization, could truly change the solar industry by nearly doubling the efficiency of today's best cells or cutting manufacturing costs by up to half.
The fact that China is no longer aggressively subsidizing their solar industry has created an opportunity for technology to bring much-needed advantages to an equal playing field. Incremental improvements in power output or incremental reductions in cost will have a great impact to the cell manufacturer, and Natcore's goal is to provide those improvements.
Another critical issue is the fact that manufacturing a solar cell involves highly toxic materials. At some point as the industry continues to mature, this issue must be addressed. Natcore's technology is relatively benign compared to current industry standards. Their Liquid Phase Deposition process eliminates the use of vacuum furnaces (offering significant energy savings) and silane gas (which is highly explosive and dangerous). Natcore feels that they are at the leading edge not only in improving efficiencies and reducing costs for the solar industry, but also in addressing the toxic waste issues inherent in current solar cell manufacturing.
Natcore's management hopes this update provides investors with a better understanding of how far their research and development has come, and where they hope to be in the near future. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the company directly for more information.
Statements herein other than purely historical factual information, including statements relating to revenues or profits, or Natcore's future plans and objectives, or expected sales, cash flows, and capital expenditures constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in Natcore's business, including risks inherent in the technology history. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Except in accordance with applicable securities laws, Natcore expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact: Chuck Provini
732-576-8800
SOURCE Natcore Technology Inc.
online.wsj.com |
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