Konarka and KURZ Collaborate on Power Plastic

The companies are engaged in a multi-year, multi-phase collaboration to accelerate the development of Konarka's organic photovoltaic technology. KURZ has committed significant capital, equipment and resources to the joint activities. "As one of the world's largest markets, energy presents many interesting opportunities for us," said Walter Kurz, president, KURZ. "Combining Konarka's technology with our manufacturing expertise will help us take advantage of the growing demand for renewable energy solutions worldwide and particularly here in Germany, the largest domestic solar energy market in the world." Howard Berke, chairman and chief executive officer, Konarka, said, "KURZ is a world leader in innovative printed materials, and this relationship enhances Konarka's ability to take its organic photovoltaic program beyond the laboratory and into development for manufacturing and production scale-up. With this partnership, we are continuing to execute on our strategy to partner with leading global companies who can print power plastic at very high volumes." KURZ has expertise in printing and coating films and foils for a wide assortment of products, including packaging, electronic devices, security applications, automotive parts, household appliances, cosmetics, textiles, furniture and greeting cards, and manufacturing capabilities in Europe, North America and Asia. Konarka's power plastic, which is made by printing conducting polymers and nano-engineered materials onto plastic, can integrate easily into devices, systems and structures to provide them with their own renewable power generation capabilities. During this program, Konarka and KURZ will focus their efforts on research and development, manufacturing process engineering and production scale-up for the printed photovoltaics.