A very successful 2008 IEEE Solar Technology Workshop was held September 5th in Austin, Texas. The Solar Technology Workshop is an annual one day workshop hosted by the IEEE Central Texas Electron Devices Society, supported by the Region 5 Central Texas Section of the IEEE and Freescale Semiconductor. This workshop provides a forum for discussion on the convergence of microelectronics and solar technology. The 2008 workshop opened with an excellent keynote talk by Dr. Stuart Spitzer, VP engineering of Konarka Technologies Inc. on industry trends and technologies overview. The keynote talk was followed with four excellent presentations covering different aspects of solar technology. Dr. Qi Wang, Silicon Group Manager of NREL gave a presentation on Crystalline Silicon Solar Technology. Mr. Bert Haskell, Product Development Manager from Heliovolt, a local start-up company, delivered an excellent presentation on Thin Film Photo Voltaic and Module Design. Prof. Carroll from Wake Forest University gave a talk on the emerging area of organic solar technology. Finally, last but not least, Dr. Gregory Kiss from Kiss + Cathcart shows how the solar electric systems are integrated in architecture. His presentation takes the audience on a pictorial tour around the world, showing various places where solar systems are currently in place. There were over 110 participants attended this year workshop. Based on feedback from participants, the workshop was well organized and the information provided overwhelmingly met attendees' expectation. In particular, the presentations on organic photovoltaics by Dr. Stuart Spitzer of Konarka Technologies and the integration of solar electric systems in architecture by Mr. Gregory Kiss of the architectural firm of Kiss + Cathcart Architecture were very well received. Time was provided at the end of each presentation to allow for question and answers. In addition, the reception at the end of the day provided an opportunity for attendees to socialized and exchanged ideas. We would like to acknowledge the generous contribution from Freescale Semiconductor and the continuous supports of IEEE CTS & EDC.

Thuy Dao
STW 2008 Chair

Solar Technology Workshop Organizers
General & Technical chair: Thuy Dao - Freescale Semiconductor
Local arrangement chair: Dina Triyoso - Freescale Semiconductor
Publication chair: Frank Wang - AMD
Publicity chair: Dennis Fergusion - Crossfield Technology