Nanosolar, the San Jose-based manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaics, is generating a good amount of buzz among solarheads. According to their website, something “significant” is on its way: “Please check back here on Sept 9th for our new website with significant new announcements.”

You may be thinking, “so what?” This, too, was my initial reaction — until I read this short post on Gunther Portfolio:

The anonymous EEStor Blogger was the first to post about the development in “Major Nanosolar News scheduled for Sept 9, 2009 or The September 9, 2009 Announcement Page”. As the EEStor Blogger also speculates, could it be related to Apple (“Apple confirms annual iPod event for September 9”) or the Beatles or both? Maybe Paul McCartney has become an investor?

Who knows what the 9th will hold? Whether Nanosolar lives up to this mini swell of hype is anyone’s guess. Given the company’s innovative approach, and its prominent backers (see here and here), my guess is that they wouldn’t post such a mysterious message unless it had a worthy announcement. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: As Green Inc. reports, today (Wednesday, September 9th) Nanosolar announced that it chalked up $4.1 billion in orders for its thin film PV. Not only that, the National Renewable Energy Lab verified that the company’s cells have achieved 16.4 percent efficiency — a record for printed PV cells. So much for Sir Paul McCartney becoming a new investor…