Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) was an American

photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercial ...

manufacturer of

thin-film solar cells A thin-film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are commercially use ...

made of

amorphous silicon Amorphous silicon (a-Si) is the non- crystalline form of silicon used for solar cells and thin-film transistors in LCDs. Used as semiconductor material for a-Si solar cells, or thin-film silicon solar cells, it is deposited in thin films ...

used in flexible

laminate Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materi ...

s and in building-integrated photovoltaics. The company was also a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and other renewable energy related products. ECD was headquartered in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Through its wholly owned Auburn Hills, Michigan, subsidiary United Solar Ovonic, LLC, better known as Uni-Solar, ECD was at one time the world's largest producer of flexible solar panels. Uni-Solar panels consisted of long rectangular strips with wiring at one end, which could be glued to any suitable supporting surface. They were widely used on flat roofs, motorhomes, semi-trailer cabs and similar roles. On February 14, 2012, Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. and its subsidiaries, United Solar Ovonic LLC and Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Company

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), through its United Solar Ovonic (USO) subsidiary, was engaged in building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaics (PV). The Company manufactured, sold and installed thin-film solar laminates that converted sunlight to electrical energy. The Company operated in two segments: United Solar Ovonic and Ovonic Materials. The Company's USO segment consisted of its wholly owned subsidiary, United Solar Ovonic LLC, which was engaged in manufacturing of PV laminates designed to be integrated directly with roofing materials. The Ovonic Materials segment invented, designed and developed materials and products based on ECD's materials science technology. ECD, through its subsidiaries, commercialized materials, products and production processes for the alternative energy generation (primarily solar energy), energy storage and information technology markets. Ovonics (coined from "Ovshinsky" and "electronics") is a field of electronics that uses materials able to change from an electrically nonconducting state to a semiconducting state shown by glass of special composition upon application of a certain minimum voltage. The most important example is phase change memory. Scientist-entrepreneur

Stanford R. Ovshinsky Stanford Robert Ovshinsky (November 24, 1922 – October 17, 2012) was an American engineer, scientist and inventor who over a span of fifty years was granted well over 400 patents, mostly in the areas of energy and information.Avery Cohn, "A ...

pioneered the field and coined the term after he founded Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) in 1960 to further his research in amorphous semiconductors. ECD Ovonics worked to create non-polluting, non-climate-changing energy sources. Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD): *Was a producer of flexible solar panels. *Activity included NiMH batteries , solid-state hydrogen fuel storage, metal hydride fuel cells, and solar. *Founder Stanford Ovshinsky was honored as "Hero for the planet" by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'' magazine in 1999, and inducted into the U.S.-based Solar Energy Hall of Fame in 2005. *ECD Ovonics stock was listed on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

with symbol ENER in 2007 and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, before being delisted after filing for bankruptcy.

Company structure

ECD Ovonics was divided into three parts, and had full or partial ownership of several other companies. *Energy generation **United Solar Ovonic Corp (100% owned): flexible

photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...

laminates producer **Solar Integrated, Inc. (100% owned): Solar installations administration, system design, engineering, construction, operations and maintenance **Ovonic Fuel Cell Company LLC (100% owned) *Energy storage **Ovonic Hydrogen Systems LLC (100% owned) **Ovonic Battery Company (91.4% owned by ECD, 8.6%

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

, Sanyo and Sanoh) ***Rare Earth Ovonic Inner Mongolia (19% owned by Ovonic Battery, 50% by Chevron) *** Cobasys (50% owned by Ovonic Battery) *Information technology **Ovonic Media (100% owned) **Ovonyx Inc. (39.5% owned by ECD) **Ovonic Cognitive Computer (95% owned by ECD, 5% by Ovonyx P1010010-Cropped

Metal Hydride for Hydrogen Storage-Ovonic

United Solar Ovonic thin-film PV building-integrated solar shingles

United Solar Ovonic Corporation

Thin Film Flexible Solar PV Installation 2

United Solar Ovonic roll-to-roll solar photovoltaic production line with 30 MW annual capacity

The United Solar Ovonic Corporation was at one time the world's largest (2008) manufacturer of photovoltaic

s. In the broader category of

thin film solar cell A thin-film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are commercially use ...

s, as of 2007 the company was the second-largest U.S. manufacturer, after

First Solar First Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of solar panels, and a provider of utility-scale PV power plants and supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses rigid th ...

. The solar cells are made of 11 triple junction

solar cell A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.ETFE, high light-transmissive

polymer A polymer (; Greek ''poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...

. The laminates were sold under the trademark "''UNI-SOLAR''". Solar PV Laminate Manufactured by United Solar Ovonic

Manufacturing and global headquarters were in Auburn Hills, Michigan. A second campus was constructed in Greenville, Michigan in 2007. Much of the production was sold to manufacturers and suppliers of building envelope elements, such as metal roofs (Rheinzink, Corus "Kalzip") or polymer roof membranes (Alwitra, Solar Integrated technologies). Flexible, thin-film solar PV products were also developed for space applications.

Solar Integrated, Inc.

Solar Integrated, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. and as an EPC contractor ( Engineering, Procurement, Construction), Solar Integrated took responsibility for the whole supply chain from administration, system design and engineering to purchasing, construction, operations and maintenance of Uni-Solar products.

Ovonic batteries

Ovonic nckel–metal hydride (NiMH) batteries were used in the 1998

Chevrolet S-10 EV The Chevrolet S-10 Electric was an American electric-powered vehicle built by Chevrolet. It was introduced in 1997, becoming the world's first electric pickup truck, updated in 1998, and then discontinued. It was an OEM BEV variant of Chevrolet' ...

and the 1999

General Motors EV1 The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker and the first GM car designed to ...

, as well as many other

hybrid vehicle A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. The basic princi ...

s in production today. The battery was also used in an

auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

concept vehicle made for

Bajaj Auto Bajaj Auto Limited () is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Pune. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. Bajaj Auto is a part of the Bajaj Group. It was founded by Jamnalal Bajaj (1889–1942) ...

, which burned hydrogen in an internal combustion engine. They made a report on it called "Clean Hydrogen Technology for 3-Wheel Transportation in India" and it stated that the performance was comparable with

compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in ...

(CNG) autos.

Patent encumbrance

In 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in Ovonics's battery development and manufacturing, including patents controlling the manufacturing of large nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. On October 10, 2000,

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company until i ...

announced the purchase of General Motors' share in GM Ovonics,Texaco To Acquire General Motor's Share of GM Ovonic Battery Joint Venture: Deal Reflects Technology's Potential For Broad Energy Applications
. (Press release). Cobabsys, 2000-10-10. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. and Chevron announced its acquisition of Texaco six days later.Chevron and Texaco Agree to $100 Billion Merger Creating Top-tier Integrated Energy Company
Texaco Investor Relations Archive, 2000-10-16. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics. In addition to holding a 50% share of Cobasys, Chevron holds a 19.99% interest in ECD Ovonics. Chevron maintains veto power over any sale or licensing of Cobasys' NiMH technology.ECD Ovonics Amended General Statement of Beneficial Ownership
of December 2, 2004 In addition, Chevron maintains the right to seize all of Cobasys' intellectual property rights in the event that ECD Ovonics does not fulfill its contractual obligations. On September 10, 2007, Chevron filed a legal claim that ECD Ovonics has not fulfilled its obligations. ECD Ovonics disputes this claim. In her book, ''Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America'', published in February 2007, Sherry Boschert argues that large-format NiMH batteries are commercially viable but that Cobasys refuses to sell or license them to small companies or individuals. Boschert reveals that Cobasys accepts only very large orders for these batteries. When Boschert conducted her research, major auto makers showed little interest in NiMH batteries. Since no other companies were capable of producing large orders, Cobasys was not manufacturing any NiMH batteries for automotive purposes. In December 2006, Cobasys and General Motors announced that they had signed a contract under which Cobasys would provide NiMH batteries for the Saturn Aura hybrid sedan. Although announced, the car was later scrapped and Saturn has been shut down. In March 2007, General Motors announced that it would use Cobasys NiMH batteries in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu hybrid as well. Cobasys remains unwilling to produce and sell NiMH batteries in smaller quantities to individuals interested in building or retrofitting their own

plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...

electric vehicles (PHEVs). In 2009 Mercedes had planned to release an ML450 hybrid SUV in the United States, but Chevron, the parent company, pulled funding from Cobasys and the batteries were not delivered. On July 14, 2009 Cobasys was bought by

SB LiMotive SB LiMotive was a 50:50 joint company of Bosch and Samsung SDI founded in June 2008. The joint venture developed and manufactured lithium-ion batteries for use in hybrid-, plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. It was officially ended in S ...

a joint venture of

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

and Bosch before later being folded into Bosch itself. Although mistaken as owning the intellectual property to the large NiMH battery packs, according to CEO Tom Neslage they merely have an exclusive licensing deal with Chevron. Aerospace Product-Flexible Thin-Film Solar PV-United Solar Ovonic

Aerospace Product-Flexible Thin-Film Solar PV-United Solar Ovonic

In February 2012, ECD sold its majority owned subsidiary, Ovonic Battery Company to

BASF BASF SE () is a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries ...

Corporation for the gross purchase price of $58 million in cash before transaction fees, minority participations, and working capital and other adjustments.

References

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External links

''Scientific American Frontiers'' on PBS.org: Meet the Ovshinskys

NPR: Entrepreneur Retools Combustion Engine

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20051218190648/http://www.time.com/time/reports/environment/heroes/heroesgallery/0,2967,ovshinsky,00.html ''Time'': Heroes for the Planet
US Patent No. 6,969,567 - Multi-cell battery
Oakland County, Michigan Companies based in Oakland County, Michigan Battery manufacturers Thin-film cell manufacturers Flexible electronics Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq 1960 establishments in Michigan