SunEdison's rebranding creates opportunities and reinforces history

Taking a new name to mark a new milestone, United States-based silicon wafer technologies pioneer MEMC Electronic Materials is now SunEdison - an elite, global brand backed by 54 years of expertise in the semiconductor and solar energy industries.

"SunEdison is inspired by the combination of solar energy and innovativeness personified by Thomas Edison," says Shaker Sadasivam, president, semiconductor materials, and executive vice-president, research and development at SunEdison. "MEMC invented many of the patented technologies used today in semiconductor wafer processing. Rebranded and revitalised as SunEdison, we aim to surpass these accomplishments by constantly reinventing ourselves to align with the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry and flourishing solar energy segment."

The company completed its rebranding in June, intending to create one powerful brand name recognised across industries and worldwide. Ranging from bulk wafers to advanced technologies such as silicon-on-insulator and ultra-high resistivity wafers under its Perfect Silicon and Magic Denuded Zone brands, SunEdison's semiconductor wafers are the foundation upon which semiconductor devices are built. These devices, in turn, provide the "intelligence" to a variety of electronics, including smartphones, appliances, computers and satellites.

A pioneer in its own right in the solar energy industry, SunEdison introduced the Solar Power Purchase Agreement in 2003. It uses in-house developed electronic-grade polysilicon and has a vertically integrated and quality-controlled manufacturing process. Producing high-power, high-performance solar modules, it is North America's largest developer of solar power projects and leading solar energy services provider.

SunEdison installed 430 megawatts of solar energy globally last year alone. In March, it announced that it had cumulatively interconnected more than 700 solar power systems worldwide, representing more than one gigawatt of solar energy.

The world's increasing appetite for solar power as a reliable energy source motivates SunEdison to innovate further, particularly in Taiwan, where it found synergy between the semiconductor and energy fields. In Taiwan since 1994, SunEdison helped establish the region's strong semiconductor industry alongside giants Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and United Microelectronics Corporation.

"There is a very large and growing solar energy sector," says David Ranhoff, president, solar materials. "Being in Taiwan gives us the advantage of bringing advanced technologies closer to clients at lower costs. It is a key strategy to our global operations."