Case
Supplementary Resources
Abstract
Not for the first time since opening his company’s demonstration facility in the Stellenbosch Technopark, Professor Vivian Alberts – chief executive and co-founder of Photovoltaic Technology Intellectual Property Innovations (PTiP) – stood back and admired what he saw. Twenty years had passed since this academic physicist began working on thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technology. He believed it had the potential to make a significant impact on South Africa’s energy problems and to capture a share of the international market. Interested parties, including Eskom, had come to see the facility, but by September 2016, Alberts had yet to sign his first deal to license and build a turnkey solar module factory. He was unwavering in his belief that PTiP had something the country needed, but he was also aware that if it didn’t take off fairly soon, the commercial window of opportunity would close. What was the solution?
This case was prepared for inclusion in SAGE Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.
2023 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Resources
Exhibit 1: The Invention
The invention combines five elements – the original three being copper, indium and selenium, and the additional two being gallium and sulphur. It uses vacuum and diffusion processes to create an absolutely homogenous single-phase semiconductor alloy that is perfectly aligned to be used for PV generation. The fact that it is homogenous is vital, because the more homogenous, the higher the quality of PV panel and the better the conversion to solar electric power.
The diagram immediately below shows how the technology fits together.
The final product, when placed on the glass substrate, is a mere 5 micron thick (one micron is one thousandth of a millimetre). The photo below shows a PTiP thin-film module once it has been laminated.
L-R: Professor Vivian Alberts, Derek Hanekom (minister of science and technology from October 2012–2014), Roy Marcus, Mmboneni Muofhe (deputy director general of technology innovation in the Department of Science and Technology, and Ihron Rensburg (vice chancellor of the University of Johannesburg).
Source: Information provided by Natalie September, 3 August 2017.
This case was prepared for inclusion in SAGE Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.
2023 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
