A Durham technology company that claims to have set a world record for solar panel efficiency was named on a prestigious list of the world’s most important emerging technologies.

Semprius is among 10 companies, including Facebook, that made the annual list compiled by Technology Review, a journal published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT’s criterion for selecting emerging technologies is their potential to change the world.

Semprius’ high-performance solar cells are expected to significantly lower the cost of solar power and will be produced near Henderson, where the company is planning to open a manufacturing plant in the second half of this year.

The company is now involved in global demonstration projects for its advanced solar cells.

The Semprius cells convert nearly 34 percent of sunlight into electricity, beating the previous record by about 50 percent.

Semprius, a Durham semiconductor startup that is building a solar panel manufacturing facility in Henderson, announced Thursday that it has raised $3 million in additional funding from a group of investors that includes Chapel Hill-based Morgan Creek Capital Management.

The private company has already raised more than $30 million in venture funding, including a $20 million round that closed in July. Corporate giant Siemens, a leading builder of solar farms, acquired a 16 percent stake in the company in June.

Other investors in this latest round include the Illinois Emerging Technologies Fund and In-Q-Tel, an investment firm affiliated with the CIA.

Semprius also announced Thursday that Gregory Wolf, president of Duke Energy Renewables, has joined the company's board of directors.

Semprius employs 38 people in Research Triangle Park.

Some of the biggest names in solar and renewable energy are putting on a solar conference in Raleigh next month for manufacturers and developers, another indication of North Carolina's rising reputation as a solar energy hub.

The all-day conference will take place in the McKimmon Center at N.C. State University and feature site tours of local renewable energy labs as well as speakers on smart grids, solar financing and other topics.

The free event will be put on by N.C. Solar Center, N.C. Sustainable Energy Association, S.C. Solar Business Alliance, N.C. Department of Commerce, Georgia Solar Energy Association and Siemens, a global energy conglomerate.

Solar Exchange East will be held September 21st from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 

Durham startup Semprius has raised $20.6 million in equity funding, the company reported in a regulatory filing today.

Last week, Semprius announced that corporate giant Siemens had acquired a 16 percent stake in the company, which is developing next-generation solar devices.

Terms of that investment weren't disclosed.

Semprius CEO Joe Carr declined to say today whether the $20.6 million included the Siemens investment.

He said the company would release more detailed information about the funding round next week.

Semprius is also seeking to raise an additional $9.3 million in equity funding, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The additional capital will be used to build a plant to manufacture Semprius' solar cells.

Siemens has acquired a 16 percent stake in Semprius, a Durham startup that is developing next generation solar devices.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Semprius CEO Joe Carr said the investment is part of a larger venture capital round, the full details of which will be announced next week.

The company, which has about 30 employees, has raised more than $10 million in venture capital financing from Durham's Intersouth Partners and others.

Semprius has been working with Siemens Industry on building and deploying demonstration units of its solar cells.

This latest investment is by the renewable energy division of Siemens Energy.

The additional capital will be used to build a plant to manufacture Semprius’ solar cells.
 

The latest unemployment figures from the state offered a bit of encouraging news with most counties showing some hiring.

So who's doing the hiring? Here's a quick look:

HCL Technologies announced this morning that it would hire 100 people in Cary to handle work relating to a contract it signed with Merck. HCL provides IT services as well as other engineering and business services. Find out more about the company
here.

In Durham, AW North Carolina plans to hire 360 people over the next two years. The company makes transmissions for Toyotas. Keep track of jobs here.

Charlotte residents will find out Thursday if Project Cardinal has landed in its city.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the economic development project that city and state leaders has been wooing for months is a $130 million expansion by Siemens Energy.

According to the Observer, citing sources familiar with the project, Siemens is moving part of its Canadian operations to Charlotte, and could add as many as 650 jobs.

The Charlotte Chamber has scheduled a press conference for Thursday but did not say what the announcement was about. The N.C. Department of Commerce, which must approve any state incentives, is also holding a meeting Thursday.

In December, the city promised $44.5 million in federal tax-exempt bonds for the expansion in December and Mecklenburg County pledged another $13.3 million, according to the Charlotte Observer report.

Siemens employs about 780 people at the plant where it makes turbines and generators, according to the Observer.

Congratulations to Yekaterina "Katie" Shpanskaya, who along with Neil Shah of Northwest Guilford High School, finished in second place today in the prestigious Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.

Katie, 15, is a high school sophomore from Raleigh who is being homeschooled. She had attended Broughton High last year but stopped because of scheduling conflicts with the courses she's taking at N.C. State University.

Katie and Neil developed a way to quickly analyze large amounts of data in simulated fusion reactors to identify potential instabilities that would cause the reaction to stop. Fusion could provide limitless amounts of clean energy if it can be harnessed.

Congratulations go out to Sajith M. Wickramasekara and Andrew Y. Guo for winning today the grand prize in the 2008 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.

Although both teens are now seniors at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, they used to attend Enloe High School in Raleigh. Wickramasekara is from Raleigh and Guo is from Cary.