The Cypress University Alliance and MIT Partner to Re-Grow Coral Damaged by Global Warming and Environmental Degradation
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--June 28, 2007--Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) today announced that it has donated six 90-watt solar panels supplied by its subsidiary, SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), to power MIT's First-Step Coral reef rehabilitation project in the Sagay Marine Reserve in the Philippines. The solar panels are powering an innovative coral reef rehabilitation process called BioRock(TM) which is capable of increasing coral growth rates by up to five times and improving coral survival by over 20 times during bleaching (higher than normal water temperature) events.
"Sixty percent of animal proteins come from the reefs," said MIT First Step Coral Team Leader Gerardo Jose la O'. "The destruction of the reefs could lead to depletion of marine resources, which is particularly bad news to a region where many people depend on the sea for food."
"It is critically important that the energy sources we use to power our BioRock structures are both renewable and highly efficient," said la O'. "With SunPower solar panels, we were able to locate the energy source close to our structures, minimize challenges in project site selection and reduce system cost."
The First Step Coral project was funded with a grant from MIT after the team won the grand prize at the institution's 5th Ideas Competition in May 2006. The project was launched at the Sagay Marine Reserve in July 2006 and the SunPower panels were installed earlier this year. The team has three working models at the Reserve, each powered by renewable energy sources including solar panels, wind turbines and tidal turbines. The Philippines was selected for the project since it has some of the most productive and most diverse coral reefs in the world. However, 95 percent of them are in poor condition due to sediment from a long history of erosion from deforested islands and heavy fishing using destructive methods. More information on the project can be found at https://web.mit.edu/gjlao/www/coral/.
"Cypress's participation in MIT's First-Step Coral project is an excellent example of the synergies that can be achieved when industry and academia work cooperatively to improve the environment," said Patrick Kane, director of Cypress's University Alliance Program. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with MIT on this critical initiative."
BioRock uses cylindrical or dome-shaped structures made from steel rebar and electrically connected to a power source and a BioRock anode. Low voltage DC current is passed through the submerged BioRock structures to electrochemically deposit a calcium rich layer on the BioRock cathode and stimulate the existing coral polyps to regenerate. Dr. Thomas J. Goreau, president of the Global Coral Reef Alliance and member of the MIT team, pioneered BioRock. Goreau is a dedicated activist on environmental and global ecology issues. His research continues to focus on the effects of global warming and pollution on coral reefs and development of BioRock technologies in the interest of coral preservation and coral reef restoration. More information on BioRock can be found at https://www.biorock.net/.
About SunPower
SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) designs, manufactures and markets high-performance solar electric technology worldwide. SunPower's high-efficiency solar cells and panels generate up to 50 percent more power per unit area than conventional solar technologies and have a uniquely attractive, all-black appearance. SunPower's PowerLight subsidiary is a leading global provider of large-scale solar power systems, with over 100 megawatts installed. For more information on SunPower please visit the SunPower website at www.sunpowercorp.com. SunPower is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY).
About Cypress
Cypress delivers high-performance, mixed-signal, programmable solutions that provide customers with rapid time-to-market and exceptional system value." Cypress offerings include the PSoC(R) Programmable System-on-Chip(TM), USB controllers, general-purpose programmable clocks and memories. Cypress also offers wired and wireless connectivity solutions ranging from its WirelessUSB(TM) radio system-on-chip, to West Bridge(TM) and EZ-USB(R) FX2LP controllers that enhance connectivity and performance in multimedia handsets. Cypress serves numerous markets including consumer, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial, and solar power. Cypress trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CY. Visit Cypress online at www.cypress.com.
Cypress, the Cypress logo, EZ-USB and PSoC are registered rademarks and PSoC Express, West Bridge, WirelessUSB and Programmable System-on-Chip are trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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