AGORACOM Small-cap Investor Relations Blog

• Management wishes to confirm that the Company’s management is unaware of any material change in the Company’s operations that would account for this activity
• Management knows of no reason that would give rise to such unusual trading and has no significant information to disclose which could lead to such activity

MONTREAL, Nov. 08, 2018 — HPQ Silicon Resources Inc (“HPQ”) (TSX Venture:HPQ)  (FRANKFURT:UGE) (OTC PINK:URAGF) announces that it has observed significant and unusual trading in its common stock in recent days.  Management wishes to confirm that the Company’s management is unaware of any material change in the Company’s operations that would account for this activity. Management knows of no reason that would give rise to such unusual trading and has no significant information to disclose which could lead to such activity.

“We wish to reassure all of our stakeholders, and market participants, that the fundamentals of HPQ, in terms of activities previously reported on, as well as the progress being made thereon, are not only sound but are moving forward as expected” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon. “As such, we wish to provide the following Company snapshot.”

1. PUREVAP Gen2:
   • Yield testing phase completed
   • Awaiting final analysis results and report
   • Additional testing before Gen3 is operational mid-2019 possible
2. PUREVAP Gen3 Pilot Plant:
   • Equipment assembly on schedule
   • Plant build-up on schedule
   • Permitting received for pilot plant operations
   • Patent applications progressing as expected
3. HPQ Pilot Plant program still fully funded:
   • IQ $1,800,000, 5% and 5 years unsecure convertible debenture closed in August 2018 not affected by government changes in Quebec
   • $1,950,000 equity investment done at 100% premium to yesterday close not affected by recent market variation
   • $1,500,000 equity line of credit for potential project cost overrun not affected by recent market variation
   • HPQ still owns > 500,000 shares of PyroGenesis (PYR: TSX-V)
4. HPQ – Beauce Gold Field Spin out:
   • Spin out on schedule to be completed
   • BGF “Placer to Hard Rock” potential well received
   • Demand for PP Financing strong, institutional participation, closing soon
   • Date of record will be established after financing closes
   • Investors selling before record date not entitled to receive BGF shares
   • As per plan of arrangement the HPQ ratio ≈ 4.80%, represent an 8% dividend yield based on yesterday close. (100,000 HPQ = 4,800 new shares of BGF)

HPQ lead technical partner and largest individual shareholder commented:

“From a technical perspective we cannot understand the recent decline in the value of the stock of HPQ,” said Peter Pascali CEO of PyroGenesis Inc. “I just want to confirm that should we see that there is no commercial outcome possible we would not continue pursuing this project. It would not make any sense. We have limited resources and as such we must not only dedicate this scarce commodity to profitable projects but to projects that have a future revenue stream. The longer we are on this project, the more we are de-risking it.  With our recent investment in HPQ and the Quebec Government’s support I cannot for the life of me understand the recent decline in the stock.  You can rest assured it is not from any undisclosed technical failure.”

Additional information on the Company is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. is a TSX-V listed resource company planning to become a vertically integrated and diversified High Purity, Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG Si) producer and a manufacturer of multi and monocrystalline solar cells of the P and N types, required for production of high performance photovoltaic conversion.

HPQ’s goal is to develop, in collaboration with industry leaders, PyroGenesis (TSX-V: PYR) and Apollon Solar, that are experts in their fields of interest, the innovative PUREVAPTM “Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR)”, a truly 2.0 Carbothermic process (patent pending), which will permit the transformation and purification of quartz (SiO2) into high purity silicon metal (Si) in one step and reduce by a factor of at least two-thirds (2/3) the costs associated with the transformation of quartz (SiO2) into SoG Si. The pilot plant equipment that will validate the commercial potential of the process is on schedule to start mid-2019.

Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words “may”, “plan”, “will”, “estimate”, “continue”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “in the process” and other similar expressions which constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company’s on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information contact

Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President and CEO HPQ Tel (514) 907-1011
Patrick Levasseur, COO HPQ, President and CEO BGF Tel: (514) 262-9239
www.HPQSilicon.com

• Silicon is one of the most unknown materials that’s used in everything from solar to pharmaceuticals
• Also becoming an increasingly crucial component in the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, gaining fame as another prong in the battle against carbon emissions.

Silicon, found abundantly just beneath the planet’s surface, is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust.

Traditionally used in the construction of alloys for welding and brazing, its relatively newfound celebrity arrived in the late 20th century with the rise of silicon-based technologies in the Santa Clara Valley, which gave the region its well-known moniker: Silicon Valley.

Transcending microchips, new uses for silicon have transformed it into an essential component in the move towards renewable energy. Unlike typical metals, silicon is an excellent semiconductor which becomes more conductive as its temperature increases, making it critical in harvesting solar energy.

“Silicon is one of the most unknown materials that’s used in everything from solar to pharmaceuticals,” HPQ Silicon (TSXV:HPQ) CEO Bernard Tourillon told INN. HPQ holds a portfolio of high-grade quartz properties in Quebec, Canada. Working towards becoming a vertically-integrated company across the quartz-to-solar cell value chain, HPQ has also partnered with PyroGenesis Canada (TSXV:PYR) to create a new carbothermic process to transform quartz into solar grade silicon in one step alone.

Silicon is also becoming an increasingly crucial component in the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, gaining fame as another prong in the battle against carbon emissions. The addition of silicon in the battery’s anode allows for the construction of longer-lasting lithium-silicon batteries. Projections from Persistence Market Research see lithium-silicon batteries remaining dominant through 2024 and beyond.

The reign of renewable energy

Solar power is now the most popular new form of electricity generation today. In a 2017 report, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century tallied the amount of energy generated by newly built power sources in 2016. The report found that more electricity was being generated by newly built solar panels than by any other method, surpassing wind, coal, gas and nuclear power for that year.

One reason for solar’s rise may be its cost. Renewable energy like wind and solar are now cost-competitive almost everywhere and are expected to become even cheaper. Whereas hydro power requires dams and other infrastructure, and biofuels require vast amount of crop residue, solar power and wind are virtually unlimited resources. The rise of wind and solar power has been so astronomical that other clean-energy technologies have only a limited chance of challenging their position for the next decade.

In 2018, BP forecasted a 400 percent growth in global renewable energy use by 2040, with solar power predicted to experience significant growth. Besides being cost-effective, solar power also ranks incredibly high in opinion polls. The Pew Research Center found in 2016 that “89 percent of Americans favor more solar panel farms,” while only nine percent oppose them.

Renewable countries and corporations

Helping to pave the way for a renewable energy future are corporations like Facebook (NASDAQ:FB). The globally-reaching company announced its aim to derive a minimum of 50 percent of its energy consumption from clean energy sources by 2018. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), in conjunction with Dominion Virginia Power, is also working with state officials to create a 20-megawatt solar project in the state.

In international rankings, the undisputed national leader in renewable capacity growth is China. The nation’s work towards counteracting air pollution due to industrial output has led to China accounting for the over 40 percent of global renewable capacity growth. Today, Chinese companies manufacture approximately 60 percent of all solar cells annually while China accounts for half of all solar photovoltaic power demand globally. The United States places second in the global rankings of solar power production, with Japan, India and Germany close behind.

Silicon in the EV revolution

Research by the Okinawan Institute of Science and Technology found silicon to offer “great advantages over carbon graphite for lithium batteries in terms of capacity,” adding that, although six atoms of carbon are needed to bind a single atom of lithium, a single silicon atom can bind four atoms of lithium simultaneously, essentially “multiplying the battery capacity by more than 10-fold.”

The downside to silicon anodes is that they expire more quickly, but companies like Sila Nanotechnologies are building prototypes which combine silicon and graphite to store as much as 20 to 40 percent more power than contemporary lithium-ion batteries, with BMW aiming to incorporate the technology into their designs by 2023.

Australian tech-firm 1414 Degrees announced in 2017 that they had designed a prototype molten silicon storage device which could easily surpass the Tesla 14KWh Powerwall 2 lithium ion battery’s capabilities. According to the company’s chairman, Kevin Moriarty, the prototype could store roughly 36 times as much energy while being roughly the same size as Tesla’s design.

Silicon in the energy metals market

In March 2018, Fortune reported that the transition from lithium-ion batteries to lithium-silicon could someday increase rechargeable battery life by as much as 30 percent, resulting from silicon anodes’ ability to hold more charge than their graphite counterparts.

Thanks to the EV revolution, the lithium, vanadium and cobalt markets are also greatly benefiting from the shift towards zero-emissions energy. The advantage silicon holds over its competitors, however, is its abundance.

Cobalt, one component of lithium-ion batteries, is seeing an uptick in interest in 2018. Prices rose in the first quarter thanks to an increasing demand from the battery sector, alongside more traditional uses of cobalt in superalloys. However, over fifty percent of the metal is sourced from the conflict-stricken DRC where questionable labor practices and a lack of transparency are commonplace. Coupled with increased mining royalties and an insurgency in the east, unease over cobalt supply abound.

The lithium market faces different concerns, namely potential oversupply, as well as the sector’s history of delays in mine ramp ups and processing problems. Addressing investors’ concerns at the 2018 PDAC convention, Alex Laugharne, a principal consultant at CRU Group, said the lithium market is “moving from a deficit into a sort of fairly balanced situation through 2018 to 2019, and that will keep prices relatively well elevated around where they are at moment.”

Vanadium prices rose in 2017, increasing from $25 per kilogram in the first quarter to $27 per kilogram in the second. Used primarily to produce high-strength steel and chemical catalysts, Vanadium is generating excitement based on its potential capabilities within vanadium redox flow batteries.

When compared to metals like lithium in the green-tech space, silicon is growing enormously. Global production of silicon reached 7.2 million metric tons in 2016, of which China produced 4.6 million metric tons. “The silicon market its already a $6 billion per year market and its growing 10 percent year over year, so it’s already six times the size of the lithium market,” said Tourillon.

Takeaway

Silicon’s abundance, combined with its applications in technologies like solar-panels and microchips, makes it one of the preeminent components of innovation in the 21st century. With the ongoing shift towards green energy driving solar farm and rechargeable battery production, the silicon market seems on-track to continue its tremendous growth.

This INNspired article is sponsored by HPQ Silicon (TSXV:HPQ). This article was written according to INN editorial standards to educate investors.

Source: https://investingnews.com/daily/tech-investing/cleantech-investing/silicons-importance-to-the-solar-power-and-ev-battery-markets/