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News for the Solar Manufacturing Industry
Volume 3 Number 3 March 2010
Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions Spray coating for fabricating polymerbased organic solar cells Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production
Bettina Weiss Interview Inside NEW PRODUCTS INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
Contents
Global Solar Technology is distributed by controlled circulation to qualified personnel. For all others, subscriptions are available at a cost of £110/US $220/€165 for the current volume (6 issues).
Contents 2
Volume 3, Number 3 March 2010
Challenges, opportunities and innovative solutions Alan Rae
10
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Technology Focus
© Trafalgar Publications Ltd.
18 The development of the next generation metallization furnace Brian Bunkenburg and Jeff Bell, Despatch Industries Solar Division
Designed and Published by Trafalgar Publications, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
6
Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions Jay R. Dorfman, DuPont Microcircuit Materials and Vince Arancio, DuPont (UK) Ltd
18
10 Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells Claudio Girotto and Jan Genoe, IMEC 14 Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production Yun Luo and Ronald F.M. Lange, 3S Swiss Solar Systems and José Ignacio Fidalgo Martínez, Specialized Technology Resources España S.A.
24 Improving the commercial viability of concentrator lens technology Laurence Hayward, VentureLab Inc.
28
Special Features
22 PV Standards at SEMI 26 Interview—Bettina Weiss, SEMI 28 Report: ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Regular Features
4 Industry News 30 New Products 40 International Diary DuPont’s 30-person encapsulent team works closely with module manufacturers to enable new fabrication methods.
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 1
Editorial
Editorial Offices
Europe Global Solar Technology Trafalgar Publications Ltd 8 Talbot Hill Road Bournemouth Dorset BH9 2JT United Kingdom Tel: +44 (1202) 388997 news@globalsolartechnology.com www.globalsolartechnology.com United States Global Solar Technology PO Box 7579 Naples, FL 34102 USA Tel: (239) 567-9736 news@globalsolartechnology.com China Global Solar Technology Electronics Second Research Institute No.159, Hepin South Road Taiyuan City, PO Box 115, Shanxi, Province 030024, China Tel: +86 (351) 652 3813 Editor-in-Chief—Trevor Galbraith Tel: +44 (0)20 8123 6704 (Europe) Tel: +1 239 567 9736 (US) editor@globalsolartechnology.com Managing Editor—Heather Lackey hglackey@globalsolartechnology.com Technical Editor—Dr. Alan Rae arae@globalsolartechnology.com Editor—Debasish Choudhury dchoudhury@globalsolartechnology.com Circulation and Subscriptions Tel: +1 (239) 567 9736 subscriptions@globalsolartechnology.com
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Print & Digital - Europe Donal McDonald Tel: +353 86 2485842 dmcdonald@globalsolartechnology. com Print - North America Ron Friedman Tel:+1 (860) 523-1105 rfriedman@globalsolartechnology.com Digital - North America Sandy Daneau Tel: +1 (603)-686-3920 sdaneau@globalsolartechnology.com Asia/Pacific Print - Debasish Choudhury Tel: +91 120 6453260 dchoudhury@globalsolartechnology.com 2 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
Dr. Alan Rae
Technical Editor, Global Solar Technology
Challenges, opportunities and innovative solutions Last month we touched on some of the applications—how to apply this in a costchallenges confronting the solar PV effective way without increasing costs is a industry. This month let’s focus on some real challenge and opportunity, and we are of the opportunities! Since I started in starting to see some innovative solutions. the technical editor position here, a lot of • Large-scale local storage of energy is still my colleagues in the industries I’ve been very much the unanswered question. Do we most closely involved with, nanotechnology need it? And if so, what technology will be and electronics, have asked me, “What is cost-effective? Who would own and operate special about solar energy?” There are many the installations? How would they make reasons—here are a few. money? • Solar and nuclear energy are the only two resources that are big enough to meet our energy needs long term. Actually when you think about it, both are nuclear, but with solar the “reactor” is 93 million miles away—nicely solving the Not In My Back Yard problem! • We are still seeing significant improvements in performance. Everyone reading this page has seen the NREL graph that shows increasing efficiencies for every type of PV system. The graph will continue to see the improvements that are being announced all the time in all solar technologies. • There are unparalleled opportunities for materials science to contribute—from nano-inks to textured silicon, to new types of transparent conductors to new types of glass and polymer based shielding. • Tailored solutions are appearing for a wide range of markets—concentrating PV for highest output in sunny areas, cylindrical PV for light weight and high output in sunlight or diffuse light, PV shingles and thin film panels for unobtrusive building integration. • Solutions crossing over from other industries to benefit our industry—inverters from wind turbines, process technology for thin film panels from flat screen televisions. • A lot of attention is being focused on the “balance of plant.” Inverters have to meet lifetimes way longer than the electronics industry is used to and are often believed to be the weakest link in the system. High reliability electronics has been developed for communications and aerospace
So, everywhere I look, I see opportunities for growth for smart, focused companies who can grasp those opportunities and run with them. Hopefully this issue will give your company some good ideas to run with! —Alan Rae, PhD
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Industry news Title
Industry news Energy Conversion Devices to build manufacturing facility in France Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) announced plans to establish a 30 MW solar laminate manufacturing facility in France. The company has started its initial site selection process and is evaluating various sites, particularly in the Alsace region. The company relocated their European headquarters to Paris last year and believes it is now an excellent time to locate manufacturing in this market close to their channel partners and customers. Expected terms of the project, including anticipated launch date, were not disclosed and are subject to completion. www.energyconversiondevices.com DuPont completes $295 million expansion for photovoltaic market DuPont announced an investment of $175 million to complete the multiphase expansion of its high-performance DuPont™ Tedlar® PV2001 series oriented film production line. This investment is
in addition to $120 million in capacity expansions, announced in August 2009, for raw materials used to make the film, bringing the total commitment of these two phases to $295 million. The film line expansion will be located at the DuPont Circleville, Ohio, facility using existing and retrofitted assets. This expansion provides Tedlar® oriented film capacity to support global demand of over 10 GW of photovoltaic module production. Film production is scheduled to start up in September 2011. photovoltaics.dupont.com Diamond Wire Technology announces corporate name change Diamond Wire Technology, Inc, a member of Meyer Burger Technologies, has changed its corporate name to Diamond Materials Tech, Inc. (DMT). DMT is a consumable and equipment manufacturer of diamond wire and diamond wire saws used within the solar (photovoltaic), semi-conductor and photonics industries. The name
change is accompanied by a re-branding initiative to represent our business within the Meyer Burger Technologies’ portfolio. www.diamondwiretech.com Suntech unveils plans for first U.S. factory Crystalline silicon PV module manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., announced that its first U.S. manufacturing plant will be located in the city of Goodyear, Arizona. The Suntech Goodyear factory will initially employ more than 70 local residents and is designed as a showcase for the company’s latestgeneration solar electricity manufacturing technologies and equipment. It will begin with a production capacity of 30 MW and has the potential to expand to over 120 MW, giving Suntech the ability to respond to the rapidly growing demand for solar throughout the United States. Suntech selected Goodyear based on several factors, including the State of
DuPont is expanding the Tedlar® PV2100 series film production line in its Circleville, Ohio, facility.
4 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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Industry news
Arizona’s progressive renewable energy standards and solar policies for both utility-scale and rooftop installations, the Greater Phoenix Area’s supportive business climate, and the availability of local manufacturing-ready facilities. Manufacturing in Suntech’s Goodyear plant will begin in September 2010. www.suntech-power.com Heraeus acquires LORD cermet thick film product line Heraeus has acquired the thick film cermet product line from LORD Corporation. LORD entered this market in 2002 by acquiring Metech, a manufacturer of cermet and polymeric thick film solutions. The Heraeus acquisition sees the transfer of cermet thick film technology, products and customers from LORD Corporation in Elverson, PA, to Heraeus Materials Technology LLC in Conshohocken, PA. The move reflects an ongoing Heraeus strategy to add customer value from a market leading position and further emphasizes long-term commitment to the thick film business. LORD Corporation will retain its polymeric thick film product line. www.heraeus.com Christopher Associates to distribute Li Yang photovoltaic module framing machines Christopher Associates signed a distribution agreement with Qinhuangdao Li Yang Machinery Corporation Ltd., China’s leading manufacturer of photovoltaic module framing machines. Framing systems are designed for highspeed, high-reliability assembly of photovoltaic modules using either rivets or screws. Li Yang manufactures a range of semiautomatic and automatic systems for a wide range of designs and processes, and is one of Asia’s leading suppliers. www.christopherweb.com AT&S and Solland Solar to build prototype production line for photovoltaic modules As part of their ongoing technology partnership, AT&S and Solland Solar will build a prototype line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb® back-contacted solar cells. The construction of the prototype line marks a significant milestone on the road to commercial availability later in 2010. The overall goal of the technology partnership between AT&S and Solland Solar is to jointly develop and put into industrial production the innovative back-contact module technology for Sunweb® cells. The
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technology uses processes and materials that are standard in the printed circuit board industry but are not yet applied in photovoltaics. The construction of the joint prototype production line at AT&S’s Leoben-Hinterberg plant in Austria, is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2010. www.ats.net, www.sollandsolar.com Despatch Industries receives order for multiple UltraFlex firing furnace units from China Despatch Industries has sold multiple single and dual lane UltraFlex™ dryer and firing furnaces to a top Chinese solar cell manufacturer. The units were purchased to facilitate a major production expansion by the manufacturer. This is the company’s first UltraFlex dual lane sale to China. Despatch Industries currently holds the number one market share for metallization firing furnaces, having sold over 200 units into China alone, and has shipped over 10GW of firing furnace production capacity worldwide. www.despatch.com East Tennessee lands $200 million solar manufacturer Tennessee’s Solar Initiative took another leap forward with the announcement that Missouri-based Confluence Solar will invest $200 million in a manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facility in Clinton, Tenn., near Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Confluence Solar manufactures high quality, monocrystal silicon ingots that increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar photovoltaic solar power generation. The announcement by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen comes on the heels of a rapid rise in capital investment in the state’s solar industry as well as statewide growth in research and development. Official job numbers from the project are not yet available, but early estimates speak of 200 to 400 employees. SpectraWatt selects Camstar for new state-of-the-art solar cell manufacturing plant SpectraWatt, Inc., a manufacturer of advanced silicon photovoltaic cells, has selected Camstar’s SolarSuite™, configured for the solar industry on the Camstar Enterprise Platform, to support its manufacturing and quality goals into the future. The ease of integration with their other business and automation systems was a key factor in the decision. The company was also impressed with Camstar’s rapid
Appointments Acro Energy Acro Energy Technologies Corp. has named Robert “Nat” Kreamer as permanent president. Kreamer has been serving as interim president of the company since June 2009. Nat Kreamer was the founder, president, and chief operating officer of SunRun, the nation’s leading provider of home solar financing. Ascent Solar Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., hired Robert “Bob” Johns to serve as the company’s vice president of sales and Zane Rakes to serve as vice president of manufacturing operations. General Plasma General Plasma Inc. (GPI) appointed Dr. Troy Shangguan as its chief technology officer (CTO). Dr. Shangguan is a recognized visionary in the large‐area thin film industry with a strong track record of innovation in low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) technology, thin film transistor (TFT) process technology, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process chamber development. OPEL Solar OPEL International Inc., hired Jay Johnson as director of western regional sales, where he will be responsible for business development and the sales process. In his role, Jay will be based in Northern California and will handle OPEL Solar’s project sales and dealer network expansion. Solaria Solaria Corporation appointed Daniel Shugar to the role of chief executive officer. Shugar, a pioneer and leader in solar power whose experience in the industry spans 22 years, served most recently as president of SunPower Systems, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation.
Continued on page 32
Global Solar Technology – February 2010 – 5
Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions
Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions Jay R. Dorfman, DuPont Microcircuit Materials, Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA and Vince Arancio, DuPont (UK) Ltd, Bristol, UK
A series of new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) front-side silver conductor compositions has been developed for CIGS and a-Si thin-film PV cells. These new conductors provide outstanding adhesion to various transparent conductive oxides (TCO’s) such as indium tin oxide (ITO). Additionally, these front-side silvers exhibit very high conductivity and extremely low contact resistance to the TCO. They have been formulated for screen-printing manufacturing operations and are easily processed at 140˚C for 5-10 minutes. Reliability studies on these conductors have shown very good stability out to 1000 hours of storage at 85˚C/85% RH. The details of the compositions and their properties as well as the typical construction of the thin-film cell using these front-side silvers will be discussed.
Keywords: Front-Side Silvers, Thin Film PV, Transparent Conductive Oxides, Ag Electrode Pastes
6 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are CIGS becoming more prevalent in the marketplace. The drivers for the growing adoption of thin-film PV cells include lower cost ZnO, ITO 2500 Å structure vs. conventional silicon cells, flexibility of the cells and the ease/cost of CdS - 700 Å manufacturing. Thin-film cells are usually segmented based upon the semi-conductor CIGS 1-2.5 µm or absorber used. This would then include CIGS, a-Si, CdTe, and organic (dye conversion) as the different categories of thin-film Mo - 0.5-1 µm PV cells. All but CdTe cells use a front side silver grid as part of the cell construction. Glass, Metal Foil, A typical construction is shown in Figure 1. Plastics The silver grid is applied on top of the transparent conductive oxide (TCO), Figure 1. Typical thin-film construction. which is usually indium tin oxide (ITO). Zinc oxide (ZnO) is also being investigated by some manufacturers. The grid pattern shadowing. of silver is usually applied by the method of 5. Reliable Performance high-speed screen printing of polymer thick Need long term Reliability. Accelerated life film (PTF) silver pastes. Screen printing is a testing carried out at @ 85˚C/85% R.H. useful method for silver grid formation in An assessment of a new generation of thin-film cells as the required thicknesses screen-printable Ag electrode pastes for (15-25 microns) are able to be applied in thin-film PV cells was carried out. Four one pass. PTF silver pastes for this type of PTF Ag pastes were evaluated as can be application have some key requirements. seen below. These are DuPont™ Solamet® They are as follows: PV427 photovoltaic metallization pastes, which was the original DuPont Ag paste 1. Adhesion to Transparent Conductive offering, Solamet® PV410 and Solamet® Oxides (TCO) PV412, which are newly commercialized Ag Need excellent adhesion for durability. pastes, and the most recent experimental Common measurement technique uses the formulation -35B. The details of the evaluaScotch tape test. tion are shown below: 2. Resistivity Lowest possible resistance is required to Processing maximize current and minimize cell losses. 1) Printing 3. Low Contact Resistance to TCO Screen printing using stainless steel, Minimize series resistance losses and allow 325 mesh, 25 µm emulsion, 45˚ angle finer printed tracks. Looking for low, single & 280 mesh 20 µm emulsion, 45˚ angle digit mΩ. cm2 values (Measured using Transmission Line Model). 2) Drying 4. Fine Line Performance a) Box oven: 130˚C/20min Track widths vary. They range from 250 b) Box oven: 180˚C/30min µm down to 100 µm. Need to meet current b) Web Drier: more efficient and so less carrying requirements while minimizing
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Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions
time needed 3) Substrates Used: ITO coated Polyester (PET) film ITO coated Glass Discussion of results: The diagram in Figure 2 shows a typical study of resistance of a circuit plotted as a function of drying time and temp. Note that PV410 shows reduced resistivity vs. PV427 and also note that increased temperature and time also reduces resistivity. This is a general trend found for all compositions studied. Print behaviour on ITO film Another key aspect of a PTF Ag electrode in thin-film solar cells is the resolution capabilities of the paste. Smaller track width minimizes shadowing in the solar cell and is desirable. Note the results in Figure 3, which show the much improved resolution of PV410 and PV412 vs. PV427. The data show that PV410 & PV412 have improved fine line performance (i.e. track widths of 123 µm & 125 µm vs. 161 µm when printed through a 100 µm screen opening) and therefore less shadowing effects. Resistivity comparison A summary of the sheet resistivities of the three PTF Ag pastes is shown in Figure 4. Note the gradual reduction in resistivity from18 mΩ/sq for PV410 to 14 mΩ/sq for
Figure 2. A typical study of resistance of a circuit plotted as a function of drying time and temp.
PV412, and 10 mΩ/sq for -35B (for 200um track width). Additionally, tape adhesion testing of PV410, PV412, and -35B show excellent results in that no Ag paste is removed from the substrate. Transmission line model (TLM) Another key property of a PTF Ag electrode paste is the contact resistivity. The contact resistivity is a key property as it provides an indication of losses and cell performance. Ideally, a contact resistivity
PV427
of <10 mΩ.cm2 is desirable. As can be seen in Figure 5, the transmission line method (TLM) is used to calculate the Contact R. Measured contact resistivity data Note from the data that the Contact R of PV410 which is 6.9 mΩ.cm2 (Table 1) is a significant improvement over that of PV427 which is 24.0 mΩ cm2. PV412 shows even lower Contact R than PV410 and the lowest observed is for experimental composition -35B where values of 3.4
PV410
PV4xx
123 µm
125 µm
200 µm Tracks
100 µm Tracks
Measured Track widths = 161 µm Figure 3. The much-improved resolution of PV410 and PV412 vs. PV427.
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 7
Advanced screen printable thin film PV silver conductor compositions
¾¾ Contact between a conductor (eg Ag) and a semi-conductor (eg ITO) create an interfacial resistance, commonly referred to as “contact resistance.” ¾¾ Specific contact resistance (ρC) rpovides a good indicator of losses & cell performance—TLM test method is used to measure ρC. TLM Test Pattern Employed: 200 µm line length = d, 1 cm track width = W Track separation, L from 0.015 cm to 0.5 cm Established Technique Following isolation of tracks, resistance measurements are made (between tracks) while progressively increasing/decreasing track separation.
Figure 4. Summary of sheet resistivities of the three PTF Ag pastes.
Resistance values are plotted vs. track separation
mΩ.cm are observed. Also note that just as was the case for sheet resistivity, increasing temperature decreases the value of the Contact R down to a minimum value that is characteristic of each composition. 2
Environmental Life Testing Finally, as can be seen in Figure 6, the longterm reliability testing of PV410, PV412 and -35B indicates outstanding performance when exposed to 85C/85% R.H. for 1000 hours. This roughly converts to 25 years of simulated exposure. Note that the contact resistivities of PV410, PV412 and -35B all remain stable over this time period. Other properties follow as well. Summary and Conclusions: 1. Significant improvements were seen in the progression PV427, PV410, PV412 35B. These include less flow-out, higher conductivity, lower contact resistance and improved adhesion, all resulting in a significant cell efficiency improvement. Reliable performance under accelerated life test conditions was also shown. 2. Second-generation metallizations PV410 and PV412 have therefore demonstrated improved & reliable performance for use in thin film PV cells. Experimental composition -35B extends this improvement for even better performance. 3. A patent application has been submitted, and the technology will be used as a platform for further developments, to include • meeting reduced resistivity demands for other thin film technologies; meeting alternative rheology requirements for other high volume deposition, and; • methods which include rotary printing.
Vince Arancio graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, with an electronic engineering degree. He worked in the semiconductor industry before joining DuPont Microcircuit Materials. Vince is a senior technical specialist, supporting the European region and has responsibility for various markets utilizing low temperature electronic compositions. These include thin-film photovoltaics, biomedical
8 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
Graph—Resistance, R(Ω) vs Track separation L(cm)
Figure 5. The transmission line method (TLM) is used to calculate Contact R.
Ag’s dried at: 200 µm Tracks
130˚C on ITO PET
180˚C on ITO glass
PV427
PV410
PV410
PV412
RC (ohm)
1.55
0.66
0.35
0.32
0.26
LT (µm)
279
117
298
233
181
-35B
Calc Rsh (Ω/)
55.5
56.6
11.8
13.7
14.3
Lineararity R2
0.9994
0.9991
0.9962
0.9986
0.9981
24.0
6.9
5.5
4.6
3.4
ρC(mΩ.cm2)
Table 1. Measured contact resistivity data.
Figure 6. Long-term reliability test of PV410, PV412 and -35B indicates outstanding performance when exposed to 85C/85% R.H. for 1000 hours.
sensors, heating, electroluminescent lamps and RFID antenna. Jay R. Dorfman received his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from North Carolina State University. After receiving a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to study at Harvard University, he joined DuPont in 1984. Over the last 26
years at DuPont, he has been the principal scientist primarily responsible for Research and Development of DuPont Microcircuit Materials’ polymer thick film pastes for applications such as electroluminescent lamps, biomedical Sensors, RFID, and most recently, thin-film PV conductors.
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 9
Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells
Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells Claudio Girotto and Jan Genoe, IMEC, Leuven, Belgium Spin coating, currently considered the most reliable and reproducible method for making solution-processed organic solar cells, is not scalable to roll-to-roll production. This paper investigates spray coating as an alternative technique to deposit the active layers of the polymer solar cells. Spray coating is a high-throughput, large-area deposition technique that offers the ability to deposit a broad spectrum of fluids with different rheologies. To grasp the potential of this technique, spray coated active layers were compared to spin coated layers in terms of topology and photovoltaic performance. The investigations confirm the ability to ‘spray coat’ smooth films and produce solar cells with power conversion efficiencies comparable to spin coated ones, and open perspectives to create more complex, scalable device architectures for final device optimization. The achievements outlined here should lead to the development of fully solutionbased organic solar cells via a fast and easily scalable process.
Organic solar cells in perspective Despite a rapid increase in the last few years, power conversion efficiencies of solar cells composed of organic semiconducting materials are still confined to values around 5-6%, limiting their commercial competition with classical silicon solar cells. Nevertheless, they show great potential to provide low-cost energy production on cheap, lightweight and flexible substrates. Moreover, they operate well under low illumination conditions and non-perpendicular incident light angles. For these reasons, organic solar cells can open up entirely new fields of applications, such as being used in clothing for on-the-go battery charging of your mobile device, just to mention one. The main challenges that today still hamper widespread commercialization are in the areas of cell and module lifetime, reliability, barrier/encapsulation and volume manufacturing techniques. Among the main classes of organic materials are solution-processable polymers and small-molecular weight materials. For the latter, thin films of small molecules are deposited typically by vacuum thermal evaporation or vapor phase deposition. On the other side, polymeric materials can
be processed from solution owing to their solubility in various organic solvents opening the route towards mass-printing processes for fabrication of organic solar cells. The most efficient polymer-based devices fabricated to date have been based upon the bulk heterojunction approach, whereby the two active components of the solar cell, namely the donor and the acceptor materials, are blended together and processed simultaneously from a single solution. Among the methods for depositing this bulk heterojunction layer, spin coating is the most commonly used technique. Although it is a highly reliable and reproducible method, it is limited to small areas and is not scalable to roll-to-roll production—a vital step en route towards mass production. Besides, there is a considerable waste of solvents and polymers during processing. To realize large-area coverage for practical solar cells, alternative deposition techniques have been utilized, such as inkjet and screen printing, and doctor blading. Introducing spray coating Recently, spray coating has been introduced as a valid alternative, as it holds the promise to be a cheap, efficient,
Keywords: Spray Coating, Rollto-Roll Production, Organic Solar Cells, Polymer-Based Solar Cells Figure 1. Schematic of a spray-coated P3HT:PCBM blend on a PEDOT:PSS coated ITO glass substrate. The cathode is formed by a vacuum thermally evaporated Yb layer.
10 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells
high-throughput large-area deposition technique. Spray coating is well established in graphic arts, industrial coatings and painting. It ensures an ideal coating on a variety of surfaces with different morphologies and is often used for in-line production. Unlike using spin coating, the fluid waste is reduced to minimal quantities, and the deposition can be easily patterned by simple shadow masking. Little study has so far been carried out on the usage of spray coating in the production of organic solar cells, probably due to issues concerning the control of film thickness and roughness. Undeservedly, since spray coating can offer interesting advantages, such as the ability to adapt the technique and deposit a broad spectrum of fluids with different rheologies. This characteristic offers the opportunity to tune the system to virtually deposit any kind of solution and obtain the desired film properties. In this article, we identify the potential of the technique for depositing the active layer of the organic solar cell by comparing spray-coated films with their spin coated counterparts. Next, first results will be presented on the use of spray coating for solution processing of the metal contact and hence for obtaining fully solution based devices. Spraying the active layer With a nitrogen gas powered airbrush, IMEC sprayed layers of poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and the C60 derivative (6,6)-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) dissolved in dichlorobenzene (DCB) in a 1:1 mixture. For comparison, similar layers have been obtained using the traditional spin coating technique. The layers have been deposited on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) patterned glass substrates coated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Ytterbium (100 nm) top electrodes were deposited by thermal evaporation through a shadow mask. The resulting quality and morphology of the coated films were analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-visible absorption measurements. The photovoltaic characteristics were measured under nitrogen atmosphere using a parameter analyzer under 100 mW/ cm2 AM1.5 simulated illumination. The airbrush, a commercially available Badger 200 NH, was powered by N2 gas at 20 psi, a relatively low pressure that ensures a fine atomization while preventing blowing off the droplets already deposited on the substrate. Various spraying techniques were devel-
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oped, including single-pass and multiplepass spraying. With single-pass spraying, single and uniform wet layers are deposited that dry after the complete deposition in the same time span as a reference layer produced by spin coating. During the deposition, the airbrush is moved in parallel lines over the desired area at a distance of about 3 cm from the substrate. The multiple pass technique is characterized by a sparse deposition of droplets on the substrate. The airbrush is moved across the substrate (at a 10 cm distance) with intervals of a few seconds between each phase. The droplets then dry independently, before the following sparse deposition arrives. In order to achieve a complete film with an average thickness comparable to the one achieved by spin coating, several passes over the sample are required. Film quality and morphology With the single-pass technique, a deposition with the same characteristics of spin coating can be achieved from the same solution. This is concluded from atomic force microscopy and absorption measurements. Both show a close similarity between the morphology and film quality of the single-pass coated sample and the spin-coated sample. This is a great advantage when considering the optimization of the final devices: studies performed on spin-coated films can hence be directly applied to spray coated films. UV absorption spectra of the multiplepass layers however show an absorption profile similar to a typical region-random P3HT layer, a characteristic that typically limits the solar cell performance. Annealing experiments further suggest that the morphology cannot be easily optimized via thermal treatment. From a thorough analysis of the drying process of single droplets, insight was gained into the phenomena occurring during the deposition. We analyzed the distribution of the radii of the sessile droplets obtained after deposition with the multiple-pass settings and investigated the evaporation process of these droplets. Volumes of the single droplets deposited by spray coating are extremely small, in the femtoliter range. The drying time of these small droplets is estimated to be in the µs range. For a multiple-pass deposition, these fast drying times allow each droplet to dry before re-dissolving the underlying layers. As a direct consequence of this peculiar asset, subsequent films can be sprayed with the same solvent and more complex device architectures can be created. This enabled us to deposit an active layer with a
Figure 2. AFM of a spin coated (a) and of a singlepass spray coated deposition (b).
gradient in composition, gradually varying vertically from pure P3HT to pure PCBM. This could potentially give an additional degree of freedom for optimizing solutionprocessed bulk heterojunction solar cells. Power conversion efficiencies The power conversion efficiencies of the most efficient ‘single-pass’ solar cells were 2.8%, a performance, which is comparable to that of the spin-coated reference solar cells. On the other hand, the multiple pass and gradient solar cells show poor characteristics: the cells are characterized by low shunt and high series resistance. These poor characteristics can be ascribed partially to the roughness of the polymer layer and partially to the heterogeneity of the active layers. Indeed, the complete layer should be considered as an accumulation of micro-domains of dried droplets, ending up in an non-optimum P3HT:PCBM phase separation along the complete thickness of the layer. Nevertheless, it should be noticed that the gradient deposition shows benefits if compared to the multiple-pass sample in terms of diode characteristic. Clearly, this needs further development and optimization, such as the choice of solvents and procedures, including the timing and the settings of the subsequent depositions. Also, a better control over the processing with more sophisticated equipment, such as an automated and computer controlled spray coater could improve the performance of polymer devices in a way not possible using other deposition techniques. A step further: spray coating the top metal contact The low-cost aspect of spray coated organic solar cells can only be fully realized if all the layers, including the top metal contact, can be obtained using solution based methods. Typically, the deposition of the top contact involves vacuum deposition of a metal or the application of a solution processed polymer conductor with limited conductivity. As a further step towards fully solutionbased processing, IMEC investigated the
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 11
Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells
Figure 3. The photovoltaic response of solar cells produced with the different techniques described in this work under 100 mW/cm2 AM1.5 simulated illumination. The inner graph shows a semi-log plot of the same devices in dark (1=spin coated, 2=single pass, 3= multiple pass, 4= gradient).
fabrication of a solution processed top metal contact applied directly on top of an organic material. Metal nanoparticle (NP) based inks are good candidates for Anz178x124
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solution-based, highly conductive pathways and contacts, generally obtained by sintering via annealing at relatively low temperatures. Their deposition on top of organic
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semiconductors, however, is challenging because organic materials are damaged either by the temperatures required for sintering the NPs or by the solvent dissolving the underlying layer. The successful deposition of metal NPs on top of organic semiconductors requires, then, to overcome these two limitations. In order to satisfy the temperature restrictions of the process to values which guarantee the integrity of the active layer and, eventually, of flexible substrates such as polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) foils, we chose a Ag NPs ink with functional groups that evaporate or decompose at temperatures below 150˚C and an average size of the NPs limited to values in the nanometer range. The second limitation was overcome by the key advantage of spray coating that is, as discussed previously, the ability to cover relatively large areas by the superposition of femtoliter-size droplets. As a consequence, the impact of the solvent on the underlying layer is reduced as compared to other solution based deposition techniques, considering that subsequent droplets are deposited on top of dried droplets rather than directly on the underlying layer. All the layers of P3HT:PCBM
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12 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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Spray coating for fabricating polymer-based organic solar cells
based solar cells could then be deposited from solutions on ITO patterned glass substrates, with an inverted organic photovoltaic cell structure. First a thin zinc oxide (ZnO) NP film between ITO and the active layer was spin coated as a cathode. On top of the active layer, a thin film of PEDOT:PSS was spin coated, producing at the same time a hole-selective interlayer, a protection for the active layer and a smooth surface for a top contact. The finalized devices showed power conversion efficiency similar to control devices produced with the same structure and an evaporated Ag top contact, with values above 2.5%. Conclusion This study has shown the usefulness of the spray coating technique for fabricating the active layer of a polymer-based solar cell. The single-pass technique allows processing solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 2.8%, making them worthy competitors for the spin-coated solar cells. What is more, a single-pass deposition with the same characteristics of spin coating can be achieved from the same solution. Hence, the knowledge gained on spin coating can be transferred to the spray coating tech-
nique. The fast drying times of femtoliterscale droplets generate possibilities to create more complex device architectures, such as a layer with a gradient in composition. Although an in-depth investigation is needed, it opens perspectives for further optimizing the solution-processed bulk heterogeneous solar cells. Finally, spray coating offers the ability to solution process also the metal nanoparticle based top contact of the organic solar cell, since the impact of the solvent on the underlying active layer is reduced as compared to other solution based deposition techniques. After a sintering step at relatively low temperatures, the resulting organic solar cells show a power conversion above 2.5%. This demonstrates that the process, performed at room pressure from solution, yields high quality metal top contacts, comparable to the vacuum evaporated reference devices. These findings pave the way towards low-cost fully solution based processing of polymer-based solar cells using the spray coating technique. Moreover, this technique is easily scalable to large areas by proper choice of the atomizing pattern or by coupling several nozzles in arrays, making it possible to scale this method to
a high-throughput roll-to-roll deposition, virtually without limits in the achievable area. Claudio Girotto is a PhD student in the “Organic Photovoltaics” team of the “Polymer & Molecular Electronics” group in IMEC. Jan Genoe is the group leader of the “Polymer & Molecular Electronics” group in IMEC.
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 13
Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production
Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production Yun Luo and Ronald F.M. Lange, 3S Swiss Solar Systems, Lyss, Switzerland, and José Ignacio Fidalgo Martínez, Specialized Technology Resources España S.A., Asturias, Spain Over the last years, the global photovoltaic (PV) industry has experienced unprecedented attention and growth. In a PV module, a good encapsulation system is essential to protect the active energy-conversion component against the harsh natural environment1. Rapidly increasing demands for reliable PV modules require an improved concept of module manufacturing as well as novel materials in order to shorten production cycle time, thus increase the output of module production. Here we present our knowledge to significantly reduce the lamination cycle time by using a novel lamination concept and a further optimised and new ultra-fast cure EVA encapsulant.
Usually, the encapsulation or lamination of PV modules is realized by using a so-called flat-bed laminator2-4. For laminating PV modules with the most commonly used layup, consisting of a 3 or 4 mm glass plate, an encapsulant (mostly EVA-based), crystalline cells and a polymeric backsheet, the typical temperature evolution in the encapsulant is shown in Figure 1. From the figure, we can see that the basic steps in a lamination process include homogeneous heating of the module layup to reach the processing temperature of the encapsulant, pre-sealing of the module layup, post-curing of the encapsulant to ensure a stable laminate with a lifetime exceeding 25 years, and finally a controlled cooling step. To increase PV module output as well as to increase the quality of the PV modules, the heating and the cooling steps are very often separated and realised in a two-chamber encapsulation process5. Note that the controlled cooling of the PV module in the cooling chamber is generally significantly faster compared to the
heating, pre-sealing and curing step in the heated processing chamber. If we study in more detail the abovedescribed two-chamber lamination process, especially the first heating process chamber in which the modules are pre-sealed and cured, the idea of using two consecutive module heating chambers instead of one emerges. In other words, the heating process for module lamination can be carried out in two consecutive steps in two individual heating processing chambers. Intrinsically, this separation leads to a doubling of the module production throughput6. Splitting the heating process also has the advantage of a freely independent choice of two sets of different parameters in two heating chambers to further increase the throughput of the module production. The resulting novel three processing chamber flat-bed laminator (with two consecutive heating chambers and a cooling chamber) operates as follows6: First, a batch of room-temperature laid-up PV modules are transported into
Keywords: Module Lamination, EVA Encapsulant, Heating Process
Figure 1. Variation of the temperature and pressure in time during the lamination cycle of a PV module (schematic presentation) as well as a schematic representation of the module during the lamination process.
14 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production
time t2 corresponds to more than doubling of the output for a three-chamber process compared to a two-chamber process. Based on the new concept of the three chamber lamination process, processing optimization was carried out on traditionally laid up “60 cell modules” consisting of 4 mm glass plate, two layers of Photocap® 15455P/UF ultrafast cure EVA sandwiching strings of (multi-)crystalline cells, and polymeric backsheet, as shown in Figure 3(a). Four critical parameters were chosen to vary during the lamination tests, respectively (Figure 3(b), 3(c)):
• temperature T1 in the first heating processing chamber, varying from T1' to T1'' • gentle heating/pumping time on pins tpin in the first chamber, varying from tpin’ and '' t ty of the materials used in the PV modules. pin By using an additional heating processing • heating time tpress when modules are pressed onto the heating plate in the first chamber, this limit is largely circumvented chamber for pre-sealing, varying from tpress' because two different temperatures can be and tpress'' set in the two different processing chambers. The additional degree of freedom in • temperature T2 in the second heating processing chamber, varying from T2' to T2’’ choosing the heating plate temperature in the first heating processing chamber Because of the principle of this improved enables a much higher heating rate of the lamination process that modules are modules. A carefully chosen processing processed in two chambers with same time time guarantees that the temperature in duration, the EVA encapsulant curing time the modules will not reach the critical in the second chamber is the sum of tpin + thermal stability temperature. The applicatpress in the first chamber. tion of this increased heating rate results Note that although the experiments in an additional reduced cycle time, t2, as were performed within the cube and depicted in Figure 2. Here, the batch cycle square as illustrated in Figure 3(b) and 3(c),
Figure 2. Exploiting the three-chamber lamination process by applying different temperatures in the separate heating chambers leading to an additional cycle time reduction (here t2) and hence leading to more than doubling the output (blue line: 3S standard lamination process; red line: 3S three-chamber lamination process).
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backsheet EVA C-Si cells EVA 4mm glass
(a) tpin'' + tpress''
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the first heating chamber, homogeneously heated on the pins, then pressed on the heating plate and pre-sealed. At this time, the encapsulant is melted, but the curing has not significantly started yet. After this pre-sealing step the pressure of this first heating chamber is released, and the hot modules are transported into the second heating processing chamber and post-cured under a pressure of 1 atm. As modules are transported from the first to the second heating chamber, a second batch of room-temperature laid-up modules are transported into the first heating processing chamber and experience the same lamination procedure as described above. In the next concerted cycle, the postcured modules from the second heating process chamber are transported to the cooling chamber, the pre-sealed second batch of modules are moved from the first to the second heated processing chamber, and a third batch of room temperature laid-up modules are transported into the first heating processing chamber. In a traditionally used two-chamber laminator, the batch time, t1, is mainly decided by the heating plate temperature in the first heating processing chamber where the module is heated, pre-sealed and post-cured. By applying the above-described improved principle of lamination, with the heating process of the modules split into two consecutive heating chambers, a doubling of the PV module output can be obtained. That means, the corresponding batch cycle time can be reduced to ½t1. In most commercially existing flat-bed laminators with one heating processing chamber, the maximum processing temperature is the main limiting parameter in the optimization of module production cycle time. This is because of the thermal stabili-
T1'
T1''
Heating processing chamber 1 (b)
Heating processing chamber 2 (c)
Figure 3. (a)Sideview of the layup of the testing modules. (b) and (c) Experimental cubes showing the parameter ranges for the lamination test.
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 15
Reducing encapsulation cycle time in PV module production
Cuts in German solar subsidy to spur Q2 price plunge
Figure 4. Contour plots of (a) gel-content (b) adhesion between EVA and glass (c) adhesion between EVA and backsheet of the testing modules in function of T1 (heating plate temperature in the first chamber) and T2 (heating plate temperature in the second chamber).
the analysis region can be slightly larger than these regions. This is one of the advantages of DOE (design of experiments) widely used in the processing tests of 3S. After lamination, six criteria were used in the quality control of the resulting modules, including bubbles, EVA cross-linking density, cell-breakage during lamination process, cell shifting, and adhesion strength between EVA/glass and EVA/ backsheet on a 1 cm wide stripe. Analyses of the laminated PV modules show that, within the testing parameter ranges, neither bubbles nor cell breakage nor cell shifting were observed for all the modules. As a straightforward way to present the experimental results, the contour plots depicted in Figure 4, show the evolution trend of the three most important values, gel-content of the EVA7, adhesion strength between EVA/glass and EVA/ backsheet, in function of the T1 and T2, when tpin and tpress are fixed to constant values. Looking at the plots in more detail, the behaviour of the gel content and the adhesion strength is as expected. The gel content increases with a higher temperature of both T1 and T2, although T2 should theoretically have a stronger influence as a large part of the curing procedure is carried out in the second heating processing chamber. The adhesion is mainly a function of the temperature in the second heating chamber, T2, which is explained by the longer residence time at higher temperature in the second chamber compared to the first chamber, which allows for more efficient chemical reactions to occur. Based on the combined contour plots giving a wealth of information about the relations and interdependencies of the different temperatures, pin- and press times, lamination recipes can be flexibly chosen from the user-defined criteria. For example, if the following criteria are applied to a ‘good module’—gel-content ≥ 80%, adhesion on both EVA/glass and EVA/backsheet ≥ 40 N/cm—a world-record lamination recipe with a cycle time of 4.5 minutes can be
16 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
obtained according to the experimental results. Assuming the commonly used practice of laminating four modules in one batch, a cycle time of 4.5 minutes means a PV module encapsulation cycle time of only 67 seconds. This exciting result is obtained by combining extensive process know-how together with an optimised encapsulant. In conclusion, using STR Photocap® 15455P/UF as encapsulant in PV module encapsulation, combined with high quality equipment using 3S three-chamber XL laminator, the cycle time of PV module batch production can be greatly reduced resulting in a significant increase of PV module output. References 1. Czanderna, AW, Pern, FJ, Encapsulation of PV modules using ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer as a pottant: A critical review. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. 1996; 43 (2); 101-181 2. El Amrani A, Mahrane A., Moussa FY, Boukennous Y. Solar Module Fabrication. International Journal of Photoenergy, 2007, Article ID 27610 3. Zahnd J, Boos C, Machine for the production of sheet elements from composite material. WO2006128699 4. Lange RFM, Luo Y, Polo R, Zahnd J, The lamination of photo-voltaic modules; InterPV Asia, June 2009, page 8 5. The controlled cooling of the processed laminate using a cooling press was introduced by 3S in 2001 6. Michel U, Maiocchi A, Lange RFM, Optimized Lamination Process: Meeting the Need for Improved Efficiency - The lamination of high-quality photovoltaic modules using a three-chamber process--technical and commercial experience and evaluation InterPV Asia, March 2010, in press 7. Gel content measurements have been performed using Soxhlet extraction method
Germany’s decision to slash subsidies on certain types of solar installations will result in a dramatic demand reduction and price plunge in the country for photovoltaic (PV) panels and systems in the second quarter, according to iSuppli Corp. In mid-January, the German government preannounced plans to reduce its subsidies (FITs) for new roofs and openfield sites installed after April 2010 by 16 percent and 17 percent, respectively, on top of a just-implemented, pre-planned, feedin tariff (FIT) reduction of 9 percent for smaller rooftops and of 11 percent for large rooftops and ground installations. This announcement is dramatic compared to the 5 percent to 10 percent decrease that had been expected. “Germany’s decision to cut its solar subsidies in the second quarter will make installations less attractive for the country’s consumers,” said Dr. Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst for iSuppli. “Because of this, German consumers will rush to make solar installations in the first quarter and then stop in the second quarter. As a result, iSuppli anticipates the German market will overheat during the first three months of the year and then collapse during the next three months.” With Germany being the world’s largest market for solar installations—Germany accounted for 51 percent of global solar system installations in 2009—its FIT reductions could have a worldwide impact. To put the size of Germany’s domination into perspective, the second-largest solar nation, Italy, accounted for only 9 percent of global installations. “The massive oversupply and downturn seen in the global solar cell industry in 2009 was largely due to Spain’s decision to change its FIT policies, which led to a collapse in demand,” Wicht said. “Germany’s move could have similar impact on the global solar market during the second quarter of 2010. However there is a major difference: the German FIT does not limit the size of solar installations, whereas the Spanish FIT restricts installations to 400MW to 500MW per year. Assuming that solar system prices will drop more, installations in Germany will have an opportunity to recover, unlike in Spain.”
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 17
The development of the next generation metallization furnace
The development of the next generation metallization furnace Brian Bunkenburg and Jeff Bell, Despatch Industries Solar Division, Minneapolis, MN, USA This article addresses three key metallization challenges in solar cell manufacturing: profile flexibility, VOC removal and belt points of contact, all of which are critical to cell manufacturers looking to improve yield and reduce unit cost in the highly competitive silicon cell market.
Keywords: Metallization, Firing Furnace, Process Flexibility, VOCs, Belt Transport
Introduction From time to time, the issues facing solar manufacturers challenge tool designers to think differently about how a problem may be solved. Three major areas of concern have arisen in the past few years that demand new ways of addressing dryer and firing furnace technologies and product designs:
1. Firing profile flexibility, independent of belt speed 2. Management of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—drying process 3. Separation of belt transport’s point of contact with the solar cell We identified these issues and have addressed them in the latest generation of metallization furnaces. This paper outlines the approaches we took. Profile flexibility The co-firing profile has always depended on the combination of paste formulation, emitter profile, ARC thickness and various
wafer attributes. While minor firing profile optimization is typical to adjust for these variables, the paste formulation and the emitter relationship are by far the critical drivers. Each paste will typically require a somewhat unique drying and firing profile. In recent years, the number of paste suppliers in the solar industry has dramatically increased, creating the need for increased flexibility from tool manufacturers to support broader drying and firing profile needs. In addition, paste formulations have been changing to improve cell efficiency, resulting in further segmentation of pastes to address various cell structures, such as shallow emitters, fine line printing, lead-free content and thin wafers, to name a few. For the dryer and firing furnace to support all of these changes requires a much more flexible toolset. To add more complexity, paste manufacturers have been limited by the ability of the existing technology to support possible breakthroughs in formulation.
Chart 1. Various thermal profiles created using the same belt speed.
18 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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The development of the next generation metallization furnace
Figure 1. Local VOC condenser.
One promising area of potential improvement involves faster firing and cooling profiles similar to the rapid Figure 2. Point-of-generation VOC thermal oxidizer. thermal profiles (RTP) from the semiconductor industry. Current technologies used in Paste % organics by Organics per Organics per the solar industry rely on increased belt type paste weight wafer (grams) month (Kg/gal) speed to improve the thermal ramping and Backfield (Aluminum) Al 28 1.6 352.5 (84.5) cooling performance. This reliance has a negative effect on line costs, breakage rates Busbars (Silver) Si 20 .13 19.9 (5.2) and line flexibility. Frontside (Silver) Si 14 .25 27.4 (7.1) The relationship between the solar Total 1.98 399.8 (96.8) cell and the firing furnace needs to be redesigned. Increasing the number of Table 1. Examples of the process step VOC load. independently controlled zones in the same physical space allows various thermal profiles to be delivered independent of vaporize into the atmosphere, entering separated from the exhausted gas flow to belt speed. Despatch Industries calls these the air we breathe. Due to the harmful be collected. Condensers are located closer Microzones™. Chart 1 demonstrates the nature of these byproducts, the United to the point of origination of the solvents flexibility of Microzones to shape the States’ Environmental Protection Agency but are not completely effective, so there thermal profile based on the potential (EPA) and Germany’s TA Luft Regulation is a solvent condensation risk both before needs of the customer. require effective abatement. Due to their and after the active condensing coil. classification as environmental pollutants, The condensing of VOCs in facility • The black profile demonstrates a short strict legal restrictions for handling and ductwork prior to the condenser or burnout with very rapid thermal heating disposal apply. incinerator creates maintenance issues and and cooling rates Although pastes vary in their VOC hazardous conditions, including: • The green profile demonstrates a longer, constituency, examples of the process step higher temperature burnout • Clogging of facility ductwork VOC load is shown in Table 1 by wafer and • The blue profile demonstrates a “double • Dripping of condensate back into the dryer by monthly line-load based on 1200 wafers spike” • A fire hazard due to contaminated per hour production (a 30 MW line). • The red profile demonstrates controlled ductwork cooling • Significant maintenance to keep the The problem with incinerators and ductwork clean and safe The real benefit of the profile flexibility condensers • Exposure risk to handling of hazardous may be yet to come. One thing that will Incinerators (also known as oxidizers material continue is the drive to improve cell or scrubbers) are usually larger in size • Hazardous waste disposal fees efficiency and achieve grid parity. A and configured to handle the effluent • Odor flexible firing process will certainly enable of multiple machines or lines, and as a • Reduced uptime due to high level of higher efficiencies by supporting the many result are remotely located near the ceiling cleaning maintenance new cell structures, enabling shallower or on the facility rooftop. While remote and selective emitters and expanding incinerators may meet legal emissions the process window for improving paste requirements, solvents can condense inside Point-of-generation VOC thermal oxidizer formulation. the facility ductwork before they get to A point-of-generation VOC thermal the system, creating issues with hazardous oxidizer on each end of the dryer, however, VOC management waste, odor and cleaning. can provide virtually maintenance-free During solar cell manufacturing, the pastes VOC condensers cool the exhaust to elimination of VOCs. used in the metallization process generate the point where the contaminants change At elevated temperatures, certain harmful byproducts containing VOCs that into a liquid state (condense) and are organic compounds will react with oxygen
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 19
The development of the next generation metallization furnace
Figure 3. VOC thermal oxidizer theory of operation.
(i.e., combust or oxidize) and produce only CO2 and H2O. Ethanol, for example, in the presence of oxygen will automatically ignite at 425˚C and will react according to the equation: 1 CH3CH2OH + 3 O2 ----> 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
last (prior to contact firing). These results demonstrate destruction rates over 99% using a VOC thermal oxidizer. Belt transport contact Contact between cells and the furnace transport belt is a perennial source of concern for manufacturers. Conventional belt transports can cause physical damage to the cell in the form of scratches in the fingers or backside plating that reduces conversion efficiency. Any contact with the active area of the cell can result in thermal influences that prevent homogenous metallization contact and therefore must be minimized. Conventional transport configurations include:
Although thermal destruction of most organic compounds takes place at 350˚C to 450˚C, thermal oxidizers typically maintain a temperature of 760˚C (1400˚F) to ensure destruction of all VOCs. The oxidation process releases heat and thereby contributes to maintaining the temperature of the oxidizer. During the oxidation process, solventladen air is drawn from the furnace by a natural chimney effect and assisted by the Venturi. The mixture then enters the heating element, which is comprised of • A balanced weave Nichrome V (nickel/ a framed array of open heating coils that chromium) belt extends through multiple levels. VOCs • Ceramic rollers are heated and combusted in this section. • Walking beam (primarily localized to the Operating temperature of the oxidizer is Japanese market) 760-800˚C. Of these, the predominant method in use Destruction of VOCs is determined by today is the balanced weave belt (Figure 4). a time/temperature relationship. Time in A very popular variation of this the destructive environment is determined belt includes the addition of stand-offs by the design of the path through the (Figure 5) that raise the cells off the belt heater/destruction chamber and the in order to achieve faster heating and expected volume of gas. The temperature cooling rates. Although the standoffs still needs to be monitored to insure the contact the printed area of the cell, the destruction temperature is maintained— reduced number of contact points results proper temperature and airflow both in less area of the cell affected by thermal maximize performance and assure safety. influence of the belt. Table 2 shows destruction test results The UltraFlex edge-contact belt design conducted by American Engineering (Figure 6) was born out of the stand-off Testing, Inc. (St. Paul, MN) The tests were concept, but moves the contact area to the conducted with a solvent load equivalent inactive part of the cell—the exclusion area to a 30MW line (1200 wph), with the around the perimeter, where there is no aluminum back-field print-step being dried
20 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
emitter or metallization. Because there is no contact between the belt and the printed area of the cell, there is no physical damage to the fingers or the aluminum backside. Absence of aesthetic damage is easily verified via visual inspection. A preliminary cell-metrics comparison and metrological study utilizing CORESCAN®, photoluminescence and electroluminescence have confirmed uniform metallization contacting and an absence of undesired thermal influence from the UltraFlex transport belt. A more rigorous study using the same techniques is now underway utilizing cells from several different sources. The results of this study are scheduled to be complete by May. Firing profile flexibility, VOC management and separation of the cell from the transport belt are just three of the customer-driven features implemented in Despatch Industries’ UltraFlex dryer and firing furnace.
Figure 4. Conventional balanced weave belt.
Figure 5. Balanced weave belt with stand-offs.
Figure 6. Edge contact belt.
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The development of the next generation metallization furnace
Table 2. Thermal oxidizer VOC destruction efficiency summary—high texanol feed rate. Despatch Industries—Lakeville, Minnesota AET #14-00915 Thermal Oxidizer Temperature Set-point: 800°C
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Destruction efficiency ((L1-L2) L1)*100 Run #9 14:15-15:14 January 21, 2010 Oven inlet flow rate ACFM
PPMz, Ave as propane
PPMz, Ave as carbon
Mv/m3 Ave as carbon
L1
11
6,109
18,326
9,156
L2
11
0.0
1.2
0.600
99.993
99.993
Destruction efficiency ((L1-L2) L1)*100 Run #10 14:49-16:48 January 21, 2010 Oven inlet flow rate ACFM
PPMz, Ave as propane
PPMz, Ave as carbon
Mv/m3 Ave as carbon
L1
12
4,886
14,657
7,332
L2
12
0.2
0.60
0.300
99.996
99.996
Destruction efficiency ((L1-L2) L1)*100 AVERAGES RUNS #8-10 Oven inlet flow rate ACFM
PPMz, Ave as propane
PPMz, Ave as carbon
Mv/m3 Ave as carbon
L1
11
6,627
19,882
9,933
L2
11
0.2
0.6
0.300
99.997
99.997
Destruction efficiency ((L1-L2) L1)*100
Summary In this article we have shown how to address three key challenges—profile flexibility, VOC removal and belt contact damage. All of these are critical to cell manufacturers looking to improve yield and reduce unit cost in the highly competitive silicon cell market.
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Brian Bunkenburg is the chief technology officer of Despatch Industries Solar Division. Over thirty of Despatch’s UltraFlex firing furnaces have been sold throughout Europe and Asia since the product’s launch in September 2009. Jeff Bell is product manager for Despatch Industries Solar Division.
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 21
PV Standards at SEMI
PV Standards at SEMI James Amano, SEMI
The SEMI International Standards Program is well known for developing consensus standards for the semiconductor industry. Less well known, but now increasing in visibility, is the long SEMI history of developing PV Standards1. The first SEMI Photovoltaic Standard, M6, Specification for Silicon Wafers for Use as Photovoltaic Solar Cells2, was published in 1981. While the end-user products are widely disparate, the silicon processing technology that enables the solar industry has many similarities to that of the semiconductor and FPD industries—enabling us to leverage innovation and solutions from these sister industries. In 2008, more silicon was consumed globally making solar panels than microchips, and forecasters expect this solar growth to continue for many years.
Keywords: Standards, Photovoltaic Manufacturing, Solar Manufacturing, SEMI
SEMI gathered together executives from the PV industry in September, 2006, to discuss where SEMI could contribute most to the growth of the PV industry. One of the major elements mentioned by these executives was the need for industry standards at the manufacturing equipment and materials level. At that meeting, Dr. Heinz Ossenbrink, unit head, Renewable Energies of the European Commission Joint Research Center, said, “Standards in photovoltaic are essential for the industry in order to lower trade barriers and to reduce the cost of ownership for cell and module manufacturers of their production facilities. Both elements are key to reaching competitiveness of the photovoltaic industry in a global energy market.” This meeting kick-started SEMI’s efforts to establish a Standards Committee to focus solely on PV; formation of a European Committee was approved in 2007. Of course, one of the key advantages that SEMI has to offer in the development of industry standards is our global coverage, as we have events, offices and staff in all major PV manufacturing regions. Following the formation of the European Committee, a North American Committee was established later in 2007, and committees in Japan and Taiwan were approved in 2009. A PV Standards Working Group is
in the initial stages of formation in China, and India isn’t too far behind. The SEMI PV Standards Committee published three standards in 2009: PV1 (Test Method for Measuring Trace Elements in Silicon Feedstock for Silicon Solar Cells), PV2 (Guide for PV Equipment Communication Interfaces), and PV3 (Guide for High Purity Water Used in Photovoltaic Cell Processing). Over 25 other ballots are now under development for additional standards. But note that SEMI developed Standards for PV prior to the formation of an official PV-specific committee. Several test methods for are used by the industry, and SEMI F47 (Specification for Semiconductor Processing Equipment Voltage Sag Immunity) is increasingly being adopted by PV manufacturers in their production facilities. One of the new SEMI standards efforts focuses on PV wafer and cell carriers, as automated material-handling equipment for PV wafers and cells is a prerequisite for an efficient PV fab. In reality, however, PV manufacturers and equipment suppliers have invested significant time and effort on material handling within their own production lines, distracting resources from maintaining focusing on core competencies where they can pursue innovation. This new effort, led by Q-Cells, will also enable
SEMI®: A Global Trade Association SEMI delivers access to: • Information • Global Markets • People—from governments to customers
SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.
SEMI activities include: • International Standards • Market research & statistics • Public policy • Environmental, health & safety • Industry collaboration and promotion • Expositions & conferences
22 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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PV Standards at SEMI
standardization of equipment load ports and transport systems, resulting in both direct and indirect cost savings throughout the whole supply chain, less risk during ramp-up, and less effort for integration of the production line. Approximately 30 percent of SEMI member companies are active in photovoltaic, and recently executives from PVindustry heavyweights Q-Cells and Suntech joined the SEMI International board of directors. Both Q-Cells and Suntech are engaged in the SEMI Standards Program, with their employees joining the over 400 technical experts currently at work developing Standards in over 10 task forces (TFs). These TFs, led by industry veterans, include factory automation (both software and hardware), silicon feedstock, test methods, cell specifications, and gases and chemicals. It is clear to these industry leaders that standards have been a key to success in the highly innovative semiconductor industry from the beginning, as they help eliminate variability in pro-
“Standards in photovoltaic are essential for the industry in order to lower trade barriers and to reduce the cost of ownership for cell and module manufacturers of their production facilities.” cesses to allow companies to focus on innovation. Reducing the number of options in a process to the most significant values allows companies to move faster in new areas of optimization, and as such, standards help improve process controllability.
SEMI International Standards Committee
Europe PV Committee
North America PV Committee
Japan PV Committee
Taiwan PV Committee
Int’l PV Analytical Test Methods TF
Int’l PV Analytical Test Methods TF
PV Equipment Interface Spec TF
c-Si Cell Appearance TF
PV Equipment Interface Spec TF
PV Gas, Liquid, Chemicals & Water TF
Japan PV Materials TF
Vibration Test Method TF
PV Materials (Connector Ribbon) TF
PV Electrical & Optical Properties TF
PV Silicon Materials TF
PV Materials TF
PV Transport Carrier TF
PV Carrier TF
PV Automation Coordination WG
PV Facilities TF
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Equipment Interface Stds Coordination WG
Cell Specification Coordination WG
Although it is difficult to get companies to release specific financial information on the benefits of Standards, their value can be seen by looking at the companies driving our major efforts. Q-Cells is leading the effort to standardize transport carriers and was involved in the Task Force that developed the PV2 Standard, along with Centrotherm, Deutsche Cell, Fraunhofer, ib-vogt, Manz Automation, Oerlikon, Roth & Rau, Schott Solar, SolarWorld, and many others. On the materials side, major companies such as Dow Corning, Elkem Solar, Hemlock, PV Crystalox Solar Silicon, Wacker Chemie, REC, Siliken and Sunicon are working on a silicon feedstock document. While all ballots are voted on by the global SEMI Standards membership, different regions obviously have areas of regional priority. Both Japan and Europe are focused on PV materials and PV automation, North America is heavily involved in materials and test methods and Taiwan is working on standards for cell and module manufacturing. Momentum is building for the development and widespread adoption of standards in the solar photovoltaic manufacturing industry. Defining future standards development efforts has been a constant challenge as companies collaborate in a pre-competitive environment to define the best path to foster innovation and market growth. Companies that actively participate in the development process will have access to the most current information available, and more importantly, these companies will shape the development of the industry and their role in it. To learn more, please visit www.semi.org/standards and www. pvgroup.org/standards. References 1. http://pvgroup.org/Standards/index. htm 2. http://dom.semi.org/downloads.nsf/st andard?openform&did=EEE1C7DE04 ACE00A882574D30047F34A&sid=0
James Amano is director, international standards, for SEMI. He can be contacted at jamano@semi.org.
TF - Task Force WG - Working Group
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 23
Improving the commercial viability of concentrator lens technology
Improving the commercial viability of concentrator lens technology Laurence Hayward, VentureLab Inc., Northbrook, IL, USA In this article, we will discuss manufacturing technology in the context of the CPV solar segment and the use of concentrating optics, but some of these same technologies can be applied to other segments including the use of Fresnel mirrors in CSP.
Keywords: CPV, Fresnel Mirrors, III-V Cells, Concentrating Optics
24 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
According to the 2009 Global PV Industry ments from the III and V columns of the Report, demand for solar energy has grown periodic table, such as gallium indium arapproximately 30% annually for the past senide, gallium indium phosphide and ger15 years. Still, solar energy contributes manium. Using multiple layers of different less than 1% to the world’s energy supply. elements increases the range of acceptable The ongoing challenge for commercialwavelengths of absorption for the cells and izing solar technology is cost. Although allows them to capture more energy from increased supply has reduced silicon prices, sunlight. A challenge with multi-junction total costs, including materials, component cells, however, is that they are considerably assembly, installation, and ongoing maintemore expensive than conventional silicon nance, remain high. The upfront nature of cells, further exacerbating the issue of cost. the capital expense is a challenge. The footHowever, there is potential to imprint requirement can be a limitation. And prove the efficiency-to-cost ratio by using except in select areas, conversion efficiency multi-junction cells in combination with isn’t at the levels yet desired. Without concentrating optics to focus sunlight subsidies, adoption will be protracted. onto a relatively small area of solar cells. In Not to be deterred, solar companies are simple terms, optical devices of area x are tackling the aforementioned challenges. used to harness sunlight and focus them One critical element in doing so is to onto a smaller area y of semiconductor find better methods of manufacture. The material with a concentration ratio is x/y. industry requires processes that can not Properly designed, CPV may require only only produce solar components to exacting hundredths of a fraction of semiconductor demands but also processes that scale up ef- materials compared to traditional PV cells, ficiently as production needs rise—all while paving the way for lower cost solar modules reducing costs. that consist mostly of relatively inexpensive Companies using concentrator technol- mirrors or lenses. Costs decrease as concenogy, both the concentrator photovoltaic tration ratios increase. Current technology (CPV) and concentrator solar power (CSP) is able to achieve concentrations of more companies, continue to achieve new rethan 1,000 times. cords of conversion efficiency. Several comThere are three main types of solar Figure 1 – Radial Fresnel Lens panies or institutions in CPV now claim efficiencies greater than 40%. However, it is one thing to achieve a high conversion efficiency, it’s yet another to create economic efficiency. Among other things, the latter requires practical manufacturing technology. In CPV, the emerging standard is the III-V cell, which Figure 1. Radial Fresnel lens. is comprised of ele-
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Improving the commercial viability of concentrator lens technology
Figure 2 Artist Rendition of Continuous Roll Processing
concentrators used. They include: has more than 30 years of experience demonstrating the weather1. Reflective concentrators—using ing capability of polymers used to curved mirrors to focus sunlight on reflect light on traffic signs. These a parabolic or dish reflector. These products use Polymethyl methacrymirrors are typically made from late (PMMA), a transparent thermocoated glass or metal foils. plastic also known as “acrylic.” 2. Refractive concentrators—using Several of the longest running CPV Fresnel lenses to improve the installations have also used PMMA. performance of solar systems by However, it is important to note concentrating the maximum level that there are many formulations of sunlight on the PV cells. The of PMMA and selecting the correct structure of the lens varies by appli Figure 2. Artist rendition of continuous roll processing. form can be critical to long term cation and can be plane, cylindrical performance. or dome shaped. They are typically This is an area where Robert made from glass or polymer. process that results in many individual Pricone, founder of 10x Technology, has 3. Hybrid concentrators—Fresnel lenses are of- parts or pieces that require handling and a great deal of experience. According to ten incorporated with supporting elements assembly. Mr. Pricone, “The solar industry stands using refraction or total internal reflection. The use of thin films is emerging as an to benefit from the ground paved by other The compound parabolic concentrator economical method of production. They industries in the use of polymers that can is one example. It has a wide acceptance use less material, have a thinner active area, hold up to the demands of high stress enangle that can capture a relatively large and are well-suited for large-scale autovironmental conditions. Polymer selection, amount of sunlight without the need for mated production and packaging. Manuin combination with the method of formcomplex structures and tracking systems, factures of solar systems often purchase ing the optics, is a key element in designing although they still might be used in con“mirror film” from suppliers and attach it lens that efficiently transmit light for many junction. to parabolic or dish systems. years.” For Fresnel lenses, one method is to Tracking systems are an important Robert is the founder of an emerging mold optically clear silicone rubber, which component to concentrator technology company based in Libertyville, IL, that has thermal stability at high temperato ensure the focus of the sun meets the uses a continuous roll-to-roll manufacturtures, and laminate it to a glass substrate. acceptance angle of the optics. At low ing process to produce micro-structured However, weight and cost can be an issue concentrations (less than 500 times), a onepolymer substrates. The process enables in some applications and there are limited axis tracking system may be sufficient. At the production solar concentrator lenses in long-term studies demonstrating the weathhigher concentrations, a two-axis tracking thin films, which can then be laminated to ering of silicone adhered to glass. Another system is more typical to ensure maximum thicker substrates—the objective of which is option is to use a selection of polymers exposure to sunlight. When supporting to permit high volume manufacturing and with a demonstrated history of holding up systems such as the parabolic concentrator lower the per square foot cost of concenunder environmental stresses of the natumentioned above are used, the requiretrator lenses. 10x is not working alone; it ral elements. The traffic control industry ments for tracking system accuracy and recently formed a partnership with Evonik, complexity can be less demanda global supplier of specialty ing. chemicals that supplies strucFor both reflective and tural plastics for use in solar refractive concentrators, one of panels. The companies are marthe major challenges is how to keting concentrator lenses using structure the optics into the solar 10x micro-replication technolpanel. Injection or compression ogy and Evonik Plexiglass. 10x molding lenses of any material is also collaborating with LPI, can result in long-term problems a world leader in the field of due to the polymers used and the nonimaging optics, to develop residual stress inherent in these the optical components. processes, which can lead to optiConcentrator technology cal distortions over time. These is an important element in the processes also may have trouble advancement of solar. While meeting the tolerances required companies are taking differfor precision optics and holding ent approaches to achieve new such tolerances over long periods breakthroughs, a common need of time under severe environis a manufacturing platform mental stress. that increases efficiency, reliAnother challenge is ability and cost-competitiveness. developing efficient production Help appears to be on the way. technologies to bring down costs. Injection molding is challenged by two factors: relatively high onFigure 3. CPV power plant in Puertollano, Spain. [Source: Concentrix Solar] going tooling costs and a batch
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 25
Interview
Interview— Bettina Weiss, SEMI SEMI, the global industry association supporting the semiconductor, photovoltaic, FPD and MEMS industries, has become very active in the PV area. We talked to Bettina Weiss, senior director, photovoltaics, about SEMI’s involvement in the PV industry. Solar PV looks like a logical extension of your microelectronics semiconductor activities. Yes, we’ve followed our members’ interests from mainstream semiconductor manufacturing into displays, MEMS and solar. About 20% of our members—370 out of about 1900 total—have joined PV Group, our global photovoltaic initiative, along with 65 pure solar players joined the organization in 2009. What is your technology focus? We support member companies and industry stakeholders in all types of photovoltaics—silicon, thin film, rigid, flexible, but we are not active in the areas of concentrators or solar thermal systems. How do you support your members? In a number of ways—you can see details on our web site: www.pvgroup.org. One example is public policy and industry advocacy on behalf of our members. In October of 2009, we held our first PV Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. where we visited members of Congress and the DOE along with several of our members to weigh in on critical legislative issues in the US. We partner with other organizations in the US and elsewhere on specific issues critical to our members’ success. We also just published a global feed-in tariff white paper to advocate better understanding of incentive mechanisms in all key markets. Other examples include the development of global PV Standards in our SEMI
26 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
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Interview
International Standards Program, as well as EH&S and sustainability initiatives. These topics have resonated most with our stakeholders. Lastly, our expositions, conferences and other events provide excellent opportunities for information sharing, networking and collaboration. We added PV focused SOLARCON expositions to our SEMICON shows in several regions and partner with other organizers in Europe and Asia in order to rationalize the number of events while still providing maximum value and visibility for our members and their customers. What about standards in China? That’s a really key area? You’re absolutely right. It’s critical to get China involved in Standards given the major role that the country plays in the global PV market. We’re in the process of forming a PV Standards Working Group in China, recruiting leaders from key companies, including Suntech, which recently joined the SEMI board of directors. SEMI staff in Beijing and Shanghai are getting positive feedback from vital players in China’s PV industry, from c-Si and thin film manufactures alike, as they realize that SEMI offers a unique platform for developing consensus global Standards. Our reputation and 35+ years of history as a leading global Standards Developing Organization (SDO) is really helping out here. Tell us more about your standards activities. Semiconductor and PV manufacturing share similar processes, materials, safety challenges, etc. and quite a few of the
approximately 800 SEMI Standards published apply to PV manufacturing as well. Leveraging what already exists saves time, provides immediate solutions and allows the industry to focus on specific manufacturing challenges and inefficiencies where currently no standardized solutions exist. It is equally important, though, that we keep a very open mind with respect to novel and unique issues in PV manufacturing that need and deserve a fresh approach. This is not about imposing Standards from a related industry on PV, it is about utilizing lessons learned and insights gained to accelerate the PV learning curve and focus on ways of reducing cost, mitigating risk, and enabling sustainable growth. SEMI actually published its first PV Standard in 1981, and recent years have seen PV become the fastest growing area of the SEMI Standards Program. We now have committees in Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and the US, and as I mentioned previously, activities are ramping up quickly in China. Over 300 PV industry experts in 15 task forces are tackling a broad range of issues, from traditional SEMI areas such as materials, test methods, and equipment automation, and also into exciting new areas related to cells and modules. SEMI’s worldwide coverage is crucial to developing credible Standards—as the PV industry is global, it’s imperative that stakeholders from all PV manufacturing regions are involved in the process. Although often our task forces initially start out in a single region, a ballot needs to be approved by the entire global PV Committee membership prior to
COBRA dry screw vacuum pumps for process applications in the solar industry
publication. This global “vetting” ensures that we’re developing standards that will be accepted by the global PV industry, creating a competitive marketplace. How does SEMI support the solar PV industry logistically? Through the existing organization and world-wide infrastructure covering Europe, Asia and North America we can effectively support members’ activities at a regional level and elevate broader issues globally. In addition, strategic partnerships and alliances with other organizations provide our members with deeper insights and understanding of issues in the markets they serve. This, combined with SEMI’s global footprint, makes PV Group a strong global platform for the entire PV manufacturing supply chain. Thank you, Bettina. Make sure you visit the SEMI PV Group web site and check out the article in this issue on PV standards by SEMI’s director of international standards, James Amano. —Alan Rae
At Busch we provide quality vacuum pumps and industry leading vacuum solutions that best suit your process requirements. Busch COBRA dry screw vacuum pumps will maximize your efficiency without increasing your costs. The advantages of COBRA vacuum pumps include: • dry-running, non-contacting operation • simple, rugged design • chemical and non-chemical versions available • adaptable for a variety of applciations
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 27
Report: ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
Report:
ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit The ARPA-E program, outlined in detail at the end of this article, aims to restore a leadership position to the US in the energy field while reducing reliance on imported fuels and reducing emissions. The agency will support breakthrough (not incremental) projects on a multi-year, multi-milliondollar basis. The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, held March 1-3, 2010, was the first public meeting held on the US Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program. The summit was very well attended, with 900 on the first day workshop and 1700 at the summit proper. We heard a terrific slate of speakers from government, industry and the investment community individually and in panels, and the overall
28 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
impression was “These people really get it.” The focus on recruiting the best and brightest and developing a flat and nimble organization really seems to be moving this initiative along. While the level of funding is pretty modest given the challenge, there seems to be a responsive and practical approach that moves from R&D to scaleup and roll-out across the energy system that is well thought through. Although only one solar PV project has been supported so far, there were several other finalists and sponsors active in solar PV represented in the Showcase exhibition, including: • 3M (www.3M.com)—reflective film systems
• Bandgap Enginering (www.bandgap. com)—nanostructuring silicon • Lockheed Martin MS2 (www. lockheedmartin.com)—rectifying antennas for electromagnetic energy conversion • Dow Chemical (www.dow.com)— range of solar materials • Xtreme Energetics (www.XEsolar. com)—solar panels combining concentration, digital light steering and rectification. The Department of Energy laboratories and their programs were also well showcased. So…why did we not see more solar PV activity here? Well, much of the good work
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Report: ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
that is going on in solar is in incremental improvements, not the game-changing projects that ARPA-E is looking for. Much of the solar representation was actually for direct conversion of solar energy to fuels. Also, solar is competing with a lot of other technologies—remember solar is a very small proportion of US energy generation right now, less than 0.1% and growing from a small installed base. There was a lot of panel discussion on how to stimulate renewables including solar PV and it was widely proposes that real growth was going to be dependent on both a carbon tax and appropriate feed-in tariffs. Energy companies are technology agnostic and many energy companies haven’t really started to address the renewable energy issue. It’s all about the economics. The management of renewables and grid integration also got a lot of attention. Wind or solar power plants can see dramatic output changes if a weather front comes through, and currently the only way to balance is to throttle up or down another power source; paradoxically the easiest to adjust rapidly is apparently another renewable resource, hydro power! Grid scale storage obviously makes a lot of sense, but the only real storage deployed right now is pumped hydro and its capacity is relatively small. About ARPA-E Funding The Advanced Projects Research Agency— Energy (ARPA-E) was established within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the 2007 America Competes Act. Authorized but without an initial budget, ARPA-E received $400 million funding in April 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the agency responsible for technological innovations such as the Internet and stealth technology, ARPA-E’s mission is to fund projects that will develop transformational technologies that reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy imports, reduce U.S. energy related emissions (including greenhouse gasses), improve energy efficiency across all sectors of the U.S. economy and ensure that the U.S. maintains its leadership in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. The initial award of $151M was broad in scope. The agency received 3700 white papers, down-selected to 312 proposals, of which 37 were funded. Although there were several solar projects among the funded, the majority of these solar-related projects were in direct production of fuels. Only one was in solar PV; the awardee was
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1366 Technologies (www.1366tech.com). 1366 Technologies, Inc. (Lexington, MA), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is developing a “Direct Wafer” technology to form high efficiency solar silicon wafers directly from the silicon melt at 1/5th the cost of the current industry standard. These next generation solar silicon wafers have the potential to decrease the amount of silicon material needed for silicon solar cells by a factor of > 3 and to decrease installed solar power system costs by a factor of ~2. The second award round of $100MM is still in progress—proposals from companies selected from approximately 500 white papers submitted in January are preparing full proposals due in March. Topic areas are: 1. Electrofuels. ARPA-E is seeking new ways to make liquid transportation fuels—without using petroleum or biomass—by using microorganisms to harness chemical or electrical energy to convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels. 2. Innovative Materials & Processes for Advanced Carbon Capture Technologies (IMPACCT). The objective of this topic is to fund high risk, high reward research efforts that will revolutionize technologies that capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, thereby preventing release into the atmosphere 3. Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage in Transportation (BEEST). In this topic, ARPA-E seeks to develop a new generation of ultra-high energy density, low-cost battery technologies for long electric range plug in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs). The third round, announced at the meeting by Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu, is for $100MM in the following areas: 1. G rid-Scale Rampable Intermittent Dispatchable Storage (GRIDS). While many valuable applications for grid-scale storage exist, this program focuses on developing energy storage technologies to balance the short-duration variability in renewable generation. 2. Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology (ADEPT). ARPA-E seeks to invest in materials for fundamental advances in soft magnetics, high voltage switches,
and reliable, high-density charge storage. These investments will be coupled to advanced circuit architectures, and scalable manufacturing processes with the potential to leapfrog existing power converter performance while offering reductions in cost. Specifically, three categories of performance and integration level will be considered: 1) fully-integrated, chip-scale power converters for applications including, but not limited to, compact, efficient drivers for solid-state lighting, distributed micro-inverters for photovoltaics, and single-chip power supplies for computers; 2) kilowatt scale package integrated power converters by enabling applications such as low-cost, efficient inverters for grid-tied photovoltaics and variable speed motors; and 3) lightweight, solid-state, medium voltage energy conversion for high power applications such as solid-state electrical substations and wind turbine generators. 3. Building Energy Efficiency Through Innovative Thermodevices (BEET-IT). ARPA-E seeks to develop energy efficient cooling technologies and air conditioners (AC) for buildings to save energy and reduce GHG emissions from: (a) primary energy consumption due to space cooling and (b) refrigerants used in vapor compression systems. So how can solar PV supply chain participants get involved in ARPA-E? • I f you are US-based and have a breakthrough solar PV process that you really feel merits funding, come and talk to ARPA-E. It will also help if you have lined up strong partners who will enable you to scale the technology. • Balance of plant, storage and grid integration issues are really important in improving efficiency and are specifically called out in the third round of funding. There are potential game-changing developments in this area. • Subscribe to the ARPA-E web site for the latest information: arpa-e.energy.gov. —Alan Rae
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 29
New Products Industry News
New products
BTU’s TRITAN designed with direct input from customers BTU International’s TRITAN™ metallization furnace is designed for maximum thermal performance, uptime and throughput at reduced cost of ownership. “When we designed the TRITAN™ furnace we solicited direct input from our customers and key industry experts,” said Jim Griffin, vice president of sales and service. “As a result, we’ve achieved a platform that is generating a lot of excitement and interest.” The TRITAN™ furnace is designed for faster process speeds in combination with innovative heating and gas delivery technology. With optimized wavelengths, wafers can be heated at a very steep temperature gradient. However, the higher belt speed, driven by spike heating, does not result in a longer furnace; the proprietary multidrive system allows the drying and cooling sections to run at a reduced speed, keeping the same footprint and reducing operating costs. www.btu.com SCHOTT unveils adhesive for use in PV and CSP solar arrays, UV-LED and glass-to-metal bonding SCHOTT North America unveiled its new Deep UV-200, a one-part thermally activated silicone adhesive well-suited for a variety of applications that require high ultraviolet (UV), visible and near infrared (IR) transmission, including photovoltaic and concentrating solar arrays and UVLED. Deep UV-200 shows excellent UV stability down to 200 nm. Among its many applications, SCHOTT’s innovative, highly UV transmissive silicon adhesive will enable solar array systems to utilize more sunlight and in turn, generate more energy. SCHOTT’s Deep UV-200 has been engineered to have low-gassing, low reactivity to gamma and electron radiation and thermal stability to 220°C. It also bonds well to a wide variety of substrates and has a long shelf life. Application for
30 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
the Deep UV-200 is performed at 80° to 100°C by spraying, dipping or casting. Curing is performed at 140° to 180°C for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the flexibility desired (elastic or rigid). www.us.schott.com Sixtron Silexium coatings nearly eliminate light induced degradation in monocrystalline solar cells Sixtron Advanced Materials introduced its patent-pending Silexium™ technology, an antireflective passivation coating that nearly eliminates light induced degradation (LID) in solar cells. A well-known issue for solar cell and module manufacturers, LID reduces the efficiency of modules in the field by up to 5% in the first few hours of exposure to the sun, significantly reducing the net energy harvest. Sixtron has demonstrated that solar cells with a Silexium antireflective passivation coating exhibit at least 88% less LID than solar cells with traditional silane-
based SiNx coatings. The optimized process flow and reference architecture was developed by Sixtron at their development laboratory in Montreal with resulting cells benchmarked by the University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With appropriate process optimization, solar cells coated with Silexium films deliver net efficiency gains to existing production lines, delivering increased revenue and boosting profit margins for solar cell manufacturers. The precursor for Silexium films is delivered to industry standard plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment by Sixtron’s SunBox silane-free gas generation system, which was awarded the Cell Award for Best Process Technology for c-Si Solar Cell Manufacturing at the 2009 Intersolar show in Munich, Germany. www.sixtron.com DEK and Heller announce state-ofthe-art drying technology for solar cell metallization DEK Solar and Heller Industries have unveiled the results of a recent collaboration, a pioneering drying system that enhances the state-of-the-art PV3000 metallization line even further. The alliance between the screen printing and thermal technology specialists has enabled a significant breakthrough in solar cell production, incorporating precise thermal control, improved VOC management and reduced power consumption—all on a compact footprint. The new solar cell dryer, the PVD3000, equipped to handle increased product throughput over a reduced footprint and with reduced maintenance. Heller’s pioneering dryer concept is based on the principles of hot air convection drying, a process which is conducive to precision thermal control at lower drying temperatures. Offering a significant advantage over conventional IR-based dryers, the PVD3000’s drying technology creates improved air exchange within the process chamber which enables the dryer to manage the increased VOC volume associated with raised throughput. In addition, the specialist catalyst incorporated within the process chamber converts the VOCs to simpler compounds
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New Products
such as carbon dioxide and water. An important by-product of the catalyst conversion is heat which, in turn, is used to enhance the drying process and reduce overall power consumption. www.deksolar.com Christopher Associates introduces Tonsan 1521 silicone potting compound Christopher Associates introduced the Tonsan 1521 silicone potting compound to its product line. Tonsan 1521 is a two-part silicone potting material used in junction boxes to provide reliable sealing for diodes and connectors. The material shows strong adhesion to PPO, TPT, brass and tin-plated leads. Additionally, the material features excellent ageing and heat resistance in rugged weather conditions, and is ideal for automatic dispensing applications. Tonsan is one of the most advanced manufacturers of sealants and potting compounds for photovoltaic module manufacturing. The company manufactures a full range of photovoltaic materials in one of the world’s most advanced manufacturing facilities in Beijing, with multiple North American and European Community certifications and approvals. www.christopherweb.com
Despatch Industries introduces new dual lane UltraFlex firing furnace Despatch Industries’ dual-lane UltraFlex hosts the same revolutionary features as the company’s popular single lane furnace, but increases processing capacity to 2400-4000 wafers per hour. The high throughput furnace incorporates Despatch’s Microzone™ technology, which enables shaping of unique firing profiles, independent of belt speed. The Microzones™ are configured to create the sharp divisions and tight control necessary to adapt to the industry’s ever-changing pastes and cell architectures. The company has already sold its first dual lane unit to a European solar cell manufacturer. Despatch’s UltraFlex™ presents a smarter, more efficient tool with a smaller footprint and a first-of-its-kind configuration. The company redesigned the airflow system for
Mustang Solar introduces Orion series roll-to-roll deposition platform Mustang Solar’s Orion series is a roll to roll deposition platform designed to meet the unique challenges of flexible thin film PV manufacturing processes. Customizable, the Orion Series offers flexible configurations to meet individual process requirements within a standardized proven production tool set. The flexible design makes future upgrades and process changes easy, enabling customers to cost effectively increase cell efficiencies as their process evolves. www.mustangvac.com
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increased efficiency and developed new, custom lamps that operate at optimal levels and enable maximum absorption of energy into each cell. The efficient UltraFlex™ configuration incorporates a four-meter drying section that provides optimal drying at faster belt speeds. Despatch’s new, patent-pending VOC Thermal Oxidizer is integrated into the dryer and provides virtually maintenance free elimination of VOCs at point-of-generation. www.despatch.com Silicones for photovoltaic and solar applications ACC Silicones, a European manufacturer of specialist silicone elastomers, launched their new PV range of products specifically selected for use in PV and solar applications. These adhesives and encapsulants are compatible with most materials commonly used in the assembly of solar collectors, PV modules and (CPV) concentrator cells. PV5700/ & PV5701 are non-corrosive RTV adhesives with excellent adhesion properties, suitable for frame and junction box sealing and the attaching of control boxes to the rear of panels. PV2300 (Gel) & PV2218 (59º Shore A encapsulant) is for use in CPV units to improve light transmission and provide environmental protection. They are both optically clear, UV stable and nonyellowing. PV2553 thermally conductive potting compound aids the fast and efficient removal of heat from by-pass diodes and electronic circuitry whilst also providing environmental protection for sensitive components. www.acc-silicones.com New hydrophilic PTFE filters from for high-purity chemical processing W. L. Gore & Associates has added hydrophilic PTFE filters to its expanding line of cartridge filters for bulk high-purity chemicals used in microelectronics and photovoltaic manufacturing. GORE® Filters for High-Purity Chemical Processors can be used as drop-in replacements for existing filters to achieve significant flow improvements while maintaining or increasing particle retention. This dramatically increased performance can provide a retention upgrade while maintaining system flow, reducing processing time, or decreasing the number of filters required for a lower total cost of ownership. www.gore.com/filters
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Industry News
Industry News— continued from page 5
implementation times and the easy of use of the applications. www.camstar.com General Meeting of 3S Industries AG approves merger with Meyer Burger Shareholders of 3S Industries AG approved the merger with Meyer Burger Technology AG with a majority of 99.93%. This paves the way for the merger of the two companies to become a comprehensive system provider offering a unique portfolio of technology and products in the solar industry. Patrick Hofer-Noser, CEO of 3S Industries AG, will take over the functions of head of technology and deputy CEO in the new group. The joint organisation will offer completely integrated production solutions comprised of machines and automation equipment, critical consumer goods, process know-how and local service from a single source. The combination of core competences in the new group is unique and enables a further significant reduction in costs across the entire manufacturing chain. www.3-s.ch Amonix to create 436 manufacturing jobs Solar panel manufacturer Amonix will create a total of 436 clean energy manufacturing jobs in Nevada and Arizona based on its award of $9.5 million in stimulus funding as part of the U.S. federal Recovery Act’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit. The company was granted $5.9 million for manufacturing work in Nevada, and $3.6 million for work in Arizona. The company will begin construction of its new manufacturing facility in Nevada by the end of 2010. When completed in the first half of 2011, that facility will create 269 new jobs for the state. The Arizona facility, which will create 167 new jobs, is pegged for a 2011 construction start, with completion scheduled by the end of that year. www.amonix.com Trina Solar to set up state key PV research laboratory Trina Solar Limited, an integrated manufacturer of solar PV products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, received its first official documents from China’s Ministry of Science and Technology in January 2010 to establish a State Key Laboratory to develop PV technologies within the Changzhou Trina PV Industrial Park. Commercial terms related to the
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establishment have yet to be finalized. The laboratory will be established as a national platform for driving PV technologies in China. Its mandate includes research into PV related materials, cell and module technologies and system level performance. It will also serve as a platform to bring together technical capabilities from the Company’s strategic partners including customers and key PV component suppliers as well as universities and research institutions. www.trinasolar.com Ferro awarded $1 million grant for solar cell research Ferro Electronic Materials, a supplier of materials for fabricating photovoltaic solar cells, has been awarded $1 million by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to develop advanced durability sealing systems for solar cells. In this project, Ferro will engineer a vitreous frit system to provide reliable air-tight and water-tight seals for second- and thirdgeneration thin-film solar cells. Ferro will collaborate with the Edison Welding Institute, StrateNexus Technologies, and The Ohio State University, all of Columbus, Ohio, in developing, testing and commercializing this new technology. If successful, the new sealing materials will enable Ferro to solve a significant problem with second- and third-generation thin-film solar cells. www.ferro.com Amtech announces $59 million in total orders for the December quarter Amtech Systems, Inc., announced that orders booked for its fiscal 2010 first quarter ended December 31, 2009 totaled approximately $59 million. This total includes both solar and semiconductor orders including the large solar order from an existing customer announced on December 18, 2009. A significant portion of these orders are expected to ship within fiscal 2010. www.amtechsystems.com Targray and Momentive join forces to serve the global photovoltaic market Targray Technology International, Inc., signed a global agreement with Momentive Performance Materials, Inc., that names Targray as a Momentive global channel to market for solar-industry-specific silicone potting, sealing and adhesive products. Under the terms of the agreement, Targray will supply solar module manufacturers in the photovoltaic industry with Momentive’s high quality silicone products. The Targray and Momentive
co-branded silicone sealing and potting products are being widely launched into the Photovoltaic market beginning in Q4 2009. www.targray.com ITM publishes worldwide solar industry market study ITM Marketing has released a newly published market study detailing a comprehensive analysis of the worldwide solar industry. According to the report, the growth of the photovoltaic manufacturing industry will significantly outpace that of the PCB, semiconductor and flat panel display assembly markets creating unique opportunities for contract manufacturers, material and equipment suppliers. The report, “Worldwide Solar Industry Market Study,” provides a detailed assessment of the solar industry in relation to photovoltaic cell and module manufacturers as well as solar manufacturing equipment suppliers. Encompassing over 50 pages and containing more than 30 tables and graphs, information about the report including a detailed description, table of contents and report metrics can be obtained by contacting ITM Marketing at (262) 376-0717 or bob_klenke@itmmarketing. net. www.itmmarketing.net Innovalight raises an additional $18 million to expand silicon ink manufacturing for global market Innovalight, Inc., has raised $18 million in additional capital. This new round of capital will be used to expand the company’s proprietary silicon ink production for customers. This series D financing was led by EDB Investments (EDBI) of Singapore. Also joining this investment round is Vertex Venture Holdings, the venture subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, Singapore. All existing investors—Apax Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Convexa Capital, Harris & Harris Group, Sevin Rosen Funds and Triton Ventures—participated in the round. Innovalight’s proprietary nanotechnologybased silicon ink and processing technologies allow crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers to dramatically boost output capacity, solar cell performance as well as reduce costs with a simplified additional step to already installed manufacturing lines. www.innovalight.com Spire targets Japanese solar market Spire Corporation, a provider of capital equipment and turnkey lines to manufacture photovoltaic modules, has signed Napson Corporation as its exclusive
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Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference Expo Centre - Expo XXI, National Capital Region of Delhi
27-29 October 2010 l 600 Exhibitors l 5,000 Conference delegates l 250 High profile
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Rajneesh Khattar, Tel: +91 11 4279 5054 M: +91 98717 26762; rajneeshk@direc2010.gov.in
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Global Solar Technology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; March 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 33
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solar capital equipment representative in Japan. Napson has served Japan for 25 years with products similar to Spire’s manufacturing and test equipment. Napson will also provide local support for the machines. www.SpireCorp.com EMCORE Corporation awarded solar panel manufacturing contract from ATK Space Systems EMCORE Corporation has been awarded a contract by ATK Space Systems of Goleta, California to manufacture, test, and deliver solar panels for ATK’s UltraFlex™ solar arrays. These solar arrays will be used to power the Orion spacecraft being developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company for NASA. The period of performance for this contract for the first two vehicles runs through 2013 and is valued in the range of $9-$11 million. The flight solar array system is expendable for each Orion mission and continuous production is expected to run through 2020 and beyond. EMCORE’s latest generation ZTJ triple-junction solar cells will be designed into the solar panels delivered to ATK Space Systems. With a sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 30%, the ZTJ solar cell is the highest performance space qualified multi-junction solar cell available in the world today. Production of the solar panels will take place at EMCORE’s state-of-theart manufacturing facilities located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. www.emcore.com, www.atk.com XsunX announces completed hybrid CIGS thin-film solar device XsunX, Inc., announced the completion of a fully-functional CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) thin-film solar device. The company is pioneering a hybrid solar cell technology that adapts manufacturing processes from the hard disk drive (HDD) industry to produce CIGS solar cells deposited onto stainless steel substrate with “pseudo square” configuration, which the company believes can replace traditional silicon wafer solar cells. With the completed sample, the company has reached a critical milestone in their development process. www.xsunx.com Spire receives NREL go ahead for phase II of high efficiency concentrator solar cell contract Spire Corporation announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor LLC, has successfully completed Phase I of its High Efficiency Concentrator Solar Cell program with
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the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and has been notified the NREL will authorized Phase II of the program. Under the 18-month, $3.7 million cost share subcontract, Spire Semiconductor is developing technology to cost-effectively manufacture 42% efficient, 500 sun, concentrator solar cells for concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems. www.spirecorp.com Schmid and the University of Constance sign a cooperation agreement Schmid and the University of Constance signed a cooperation agreement on the foundation of the Schmid Photovoltaic Innovation Center of Expertise (SPICE) at the University of Constance. The aim of SPICE is to give the University of Constance the possibility of improving and expanding their faculty of basic science. Joint projects between the company from the Black Forest, Germany and the photovoltaics department of the faculty of physics at the University of Constance are already in progress. In addition to these activities, Schmid has also announced the establishment of a new 6000 m² solar technology centre at the former factory of SEAG in Dunningen. The center will feature an R&D production site for the wafer, module and thin-film sectors and enable processes and new machine technologies to be tested and operated under real production conditions. www.schmid-group.com Odersun achieves IEC Certification for its CIS solar modules Odersun AG has achieved International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) certification for its standard CIS-based solar modules on first submittal and will start volume production. The IEC 61646 and 61730 certifications demonstrate that Odersun’s modules meet the IEC’s strict norms regarding function, quality and safety. These certificates of compliance were awarded by the German Engineering Association VDE for the company’s 1 x 1.70 m framed glass-foil modules built of Odersun’s CIS-on-copper-tape cells. Odersun has begun ramping up its 20 MW manufacturing facilities in Fürstenwalde (Spree), Germany. www.odersun.com Mitsubishi Electric designs PV modules for installations near salt water Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. has confirmed that its UD5 and UJ6
photovoltaic modules can be installed near salt water. After extensive factory testing, Mitsubishi Electric found that its PV modules maintained a sufficient level of insulation from the corrosive effect of salt air and ocean front environment to maintain the power output specifications included in its warranty. www.mitsubishielectricsolar.com Day4 Energy expands sales force to meet expectations of growing European markets Day4 Energy Inc. appointed two new key roles to its European sales teams, hiring Tim Morath as director of sales for Central Europe and Luigi Fusi as director of sales and corporate development for Southern Europe. Jake Brown, who was previously responsible for the company’s global marketing and business development, will be focusing solely on the growing volume of business development opportunities in the US market. www.day4energy.com CNPV signs long-term strategic partnership with Futech CNPV Solar Power SA, has entered into a long-term strategic partnership sales agreement with Futech BvBa, a Belgium project development and distribution company. Under the terms of this strategic agreement, CNPV will supply Futech with a total of 60 MWp of PV modules from 2010 to 2012, which includes 10 MWp of scheduled delivery during 2010. The remaining 20 MWp and 30 MWp are scheduled for delivery in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The price will be reviewed mutually on a quarterly basis if the market price falls or rises with reference to the fixed prices. www.cnpv-power.com, www.futech.be SolarWorld AG outperforms 1 billion revenue forecast for 2009 SolarWorld AG benefited from the worldwide increase in the demand for high quality and brand name technology in solar power generation. By exceeding the one billion revenue mark in 2009 the group increased its annual sales revenue by a factor of more than 185 in the ten years since its IPO (1999 revenue: 5.4 million EUR). The complete revenue and earnings figures for the fiscal year just ended will be published as planned on 25 March 2010. Before making a forecast for 2010 the Management Board will wait to see the international price development and the development of the national funding policy. At the same time SolarWorld AG will push ahead with investments in its
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in its worldwide high-tech locations so as to be able to meet the constantly rising demand for solar energy generation technology with massive increases in its production volumes. www.solarworld.de CNPV launches high performance 60-cell 156mm mono crystalline module with efficiency 15.25%+ CNPV Solar Power SA launched the company’s premium photovoltaic modules series with power ranging from 240 Wp to 250 Wp made with high-efficiency 156 x 156 mm mono crystalline cells. CNPV has already shipped 10 MWp of these premium modules to key customers in Germany, France, Belgium and Czech Republic for rooftop applications. www.cnpv-power.com
Touch the future Solutions for glass and solar cell production
aleo solar AG increases annual revenue in 2009 to EUR 375 million aleo solar AG announced that, according to preliminary calculations, the company generated revenue of EUR 375 million in 2009. After a slow first six months, business picked up considerably from July, leading to a EUR 15 million yearon-year increase in revenue. Revenue was 4 percent higher than the year before. The company delivered around 148 megawatts’ worth of aleo modules this year, 45 percent more than the previous year. In Europe, the company’s customer base expanded to over 1,000 specialist partners. Foreign sales account for around 25 percent of aleo solar AG’s revenue. The company already has frame contracts in place for over 60 megawatts from German customers alone for 2010. The complete revenue and earnings figures for the 2009 financial year will be published on March 25, 2010. www.aleo-solar.de eSolar partners with Penglai on landmark solar thermal agreement for China eSolar and Penglai Electric announced a master licensing agreement to build at least 2 gigawatts of solar thermal power plants in China over the next 10 years. The deal was signed in the Chinese State Council building with government officials in attendance and represents the country’s largest CSP project. Groundbreaking of the first 92 megawatts will take place in 2010. Penglai Electric plans to develop 2 GW of power plants by 2021 using eSolar’s proven solar thermal technology. The solar thermal power plants will be co-located with biomass electricity generation facilities. www.esolar.com Solarfun announces 2010 capacity expansion Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd., announced a capacity expansion due to anticipated demand. Solarfun will increase its PV module production capacity from 550 MW to 700 MW by April 2010 and its PV cell production capacity from 360 MW to 480 MW by July 2010. The company is expecting strong demand from areas with increased subsidies to solar projects, such as China and the United States. www.solarfun-power.com Magnolia Solar Corporation completes reverse merger and becomes a publicly traded corporation Magnolia Solar, Inc., has completed a reverse merger with publicly traded Mobilis Relocation Service Holdings, Inc. Following the Merger, Mobilis changed its name to “Magnolia Solar Corporation.” Magnolia Solar Corporation is the surviving corporation and Magnolia became its wholly-owned
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 35
Industry News
subsidiary. www.MagnoliaSolar.com Xunlight awarded $34.5 million tax credit Xunlight Corporation has been awarded a $34.5 million tax credit as part of the U.S. Recovery Act. The Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit was awarded based upon a number of criteria, including commercial viability, job creation, technological innovation, speed to completion and environmental factors. In 2009, Xunlight completed the installation of its first 25 MW roll-to-roll PECVD solar cell production equipment and has outlined a detailed plan to expand its production capacity to 100 MW over the next several years. The tax credit will be an integral piece in helping the company achieve large scale commercialization in a cost effective manner. www.xunlight.com Calisolar awarded tax credit for building US solar cell manufacturing facility Calisolar Inc. was awarded a clean energy manufacturing tax credit of $51.6 million. Calisolar’s tax credit is part of $2.3 billion allocated by Congress as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is expected to create over 17,000 US jobs. Calisolar was selected based on merit after a review of criteria including domestic job creation, impact on reducing pollution, potential for technological innovation and commercial deployment and project time from certification to completion. The tax credit will be used to accelerate the completion of Calisolar’s manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale, California. Calisolar’s goal is to increase the capacity of its facility from 60 MW to over 200 MW, which will increase its US employee base to over 200 in 2010. www.calisolar.com Need for end-market diversification on the horizon for global PV sector Solar companies at every step of the global PV supply chain must begin to focus resources on developing the end-markets that will support the industry in the event of another major market saturation, according to the recently released market report by PHOTON Consulting, “Solar Power Markets: Prepare for Impact.” The report, a critical downstream reference guide, includes in-depth 30-page profiles of the 13 most important end-markets for current and future global PV demand along with critical market-specific data and analysis on price and volume trends, project economics, policy details, key
36 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
market participants, and regulatory requirements for the markets highlighted. www.photonconsulting.com Canadian Solar announces JV and distribution deal with West Holding Ltd of Japan Canadian Solar Inc. announced a joint venture and an 18 MW distribution deal with West Holding Ltd of Japan. The agreement stipulates a transfer of 14% of the shares in Canadian Solar Japan, which is the Japanese subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc., to West Holding Ltd. Canadian Solar retains the remaining 86%. West Holding Ltd will distribute and sell solar residential rooftop systems designed by Canadian Solar Japan. The sales target for 2010 is approximately 18 MW. Deliveries began in December 2009. www.canadiansolar.com Enecsys secures £2.5 million investment from Good Energies for groundbreaking solar microinverter Enecsys Limited, a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) micro-inverters, has attracted further investment of £2.5 million ($4.2 million) from Good Energies, adding to the £6M ($10 million) received from Wellington Partners and BankInvest in June 2009 for a total investment of £8.5 million ($14.3 million) in Enecsys. Enecsys will make its first product announcement in early 2010. The company’s unique micro-inverter technology promises lowest lifetime costs, highest reliability and faster, easier installation of solar PV systems. www.enecsys.com First Solar acquires solar project development pipeline from Edison Mission Group First Solar Inc. completed the acquisition of a portion of Edison Mission Group’s (EMG) solar project development pipeline. The utility-scale solar projects are located in California and the Southwest. The acquisition complements and diversifies First Solar’s existing portfolio of utilityscale thin film photovoltaic solar projects. First Solar’s existing projects are largely sited on public land, range to 550 megawatts (MW) in size, and are mostly under contract with utilities. The EMG projects that First Solar is acquiring are sited largely on private land, range from 20 to 150MW, and are not yet contracted with utilities. First Solar and EMG have worked together since 2008 on the EMG projects, with First Solar providing engineering, procurement and construction services
while EMG was responsible for land acquisition and permitting. Now First Solar will handle all development for these projects, including permitting. www.firstsolar.com Spire Semiconductor awarded over $2 million from DOE’s tax credit program Spire Corporation’s wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor, LLC, has received confirmation from the Department of Energy (DOE) that under the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC) program, its application has been approved for the allocation of over $2 million to expand its III/V compound semiconductor foundry facility in Hudson, New Hampshire. www.spirecorp.com DOE awards Cooper Power Systems $1.3M in tax credits for new cleantech manufacturing jobs Cooper Power Systems, a division of Cooper Industries plc, has received $1.3 million in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing tax credits awarded by President Obama and The White House for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. The credits are part of a $2.3 billion package, recognizing one hundred eighty three projects in 43 states, all of which are designed to create high-quality, clean energy jobs and enhance the manufacturing of clean energy technologies including solar, wind and efficiency & energy management. The Cooper projects for which the tax credits were awarded include $846,180 for modification of the company’s manufacturing facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin, allowing it to produce higher-efficiency transformers. Cooper also received a $495,510 tax credit for modification of the company’s facility in Nacogdoches, Texas, allowing it to produce electrical transformers with amorphous steel cores. www.cooperpower.com MiaSole awarded $100M in federal tax credits, will be adding jobs MiaSole has received two Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits totaling USD 101.8 million from the Obama Administration for the manufacture of solar PV cells and modules based on an innovative thin-film production technology. MiaSole will be adding jobs to ramp up its manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, CA. The company increased its workforce from 150 to 300 employees in 2009. www.miasole.com
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GT Solar signs more than US $40 million in new contracts with GCLPoly GT Solar International, Inc., has signed contracts in excess of $40 million with two wholly owned subsidiaries of China-based GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited. The first agreement, with Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development Co., Ltd., is for GT Solar’s best-inclass Trichlorosilane (TCS) Production Technology Solution. The second, with Jiangsu GCL Silicon Material Technology Development Co. Ltd., is for GT Solar’s market-leading Directional Solidification System (DSS) furnaces and ancillary equipment. These contracts represent the first purchases of GT Solar equipment and services by GCL-Poly and its subsidiaries. According to Mr. Zhu Gong Shan, executive directory, chairman and CEO of GCL-Poly, the company chose GT Solar’s products to help improve quality and lower the cost of their polysilicon operations. www.gtsolar.com, www.gcl-poly.com.hk Solar power policy changes coming for Germany emphasize need for new end-markets
In the midst of discussions surrounding significant revisions to Germany’s solar power feed-in tariff (EEG), PHOTON Consulting has released its latest PV market demand report, “Solar Power Markets: Prepare for Impact,” emphasizing the need for solar companies to aggressively explore end-markets outside of Germany. Since mid-2009, PHOTON Consulting’s team of analysts anticipated major revisions to Germany’s EEG, which resulted in the firm’s decision to begin preparing the 436-page report. “The changes to the EEG currently being discussed are just a first move toward a German PV market that is much more constrained,” said Michael Rogol, a global PV analyst and CEO of Boston-based PHOTON Consulting. “The implication for solar power companies is clear: You must diversify away from Germany.” This message serves as the core of PHOTON’s latest downstream market demand report, “Solar Power Markets: Prepare for Impact,” which forecasts the German PV market turn-off by 2013. “In order to survive the saturation of a major market like Germany, solar companies at every step of the supply
chain must build sales channels to a dozen end-markets, not overly rely on just the German market,” said Rogol. www. photonconsulting.com Trina Solar commences module supply to Australia’s largest distributor, RFI Trina Solar Limited (TSL), an integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, made initial shipments to Australia-based RF Industries Pty Ltd in January 2010. This is in conjunction with the company’s intention to finalize with RFI a national distribution agreement to supply up to 10 MW of PV modules in 2010. www.trinasolar.com Masdar, Sener JV Torresol Energy secures US $760 million loan for solar thermal plants Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Masdar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company, and Sener, an international multidiscipline engineering company with offices in Abu Dhabi, has secured US $760 million in
World Leaders in Photovoltaic Sealants & Potting Compounds • Superior Long term Performance • Excellent resistance to Environmental and UV Exposure • Superior Bond Strength and Integrity Tonsan sealants and dispensing systems are world leaders in quality and performance. Tonsan, Asia’s leading manufacturer of PV sealants and potting compounds, have applied their experience in chemistry, materials engineering, and photovoltaic manufacturing in order to optimize the performance of dispensing
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systems for several applications. Tonsan’s dispensing systems provide significantly reduced materials costs, less waste, more efficient application, and reduced maintenance and cleaning. For further information www.tonsan.com www.christopherweb.com
Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 37
Industry News
project finance loans for the construction of its twin concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, Valle 1 and Valle 2, in Andalucía, Spain. The total investment value for the two plants is US $1bn. Work on the two 50 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plants began in March 2009, and is the first time that twin thermo solar plants have been built simultaneously. Both plants incorporate energy solutions developed by Sener, including molten salt thermal storage capacity of up to 7.5 hours. This means that the state-of-the-art plants will be capable of generating electricity at night and through periods of poor sunlight, enabling a continuous supply of electricity and overcoming intermittency, one of the drawbacks of some renewable technologies. www.torresolenergy.com, www.masdar.ae United Solar Ovonic receives tax credit, plans to add 600 jobs Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), announced that its affiliate United Solar Ovonic LLC has received stimulus support from the Department of Energy and the Department of Treasury. The $13.275 million credit will support United Solar Ovonic’s plan to invest $42 million in its Auburn Hills 1 facility to upgrade equipment used in its commercial solar deposition process. Upon successful completion of the upgrades, the deposition machines will have significantly greater output. These improvements will lower the company’s cost of manufacturing while increasing the efficiency of the solar laminates and is expected to create approximately 600 jobs in Michigan. www.energyconversiondevices.com Dr. Zhengrong Shi honored as Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist The founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., Dr. Zhengrong Shi, was honored as a finalist for the prestigious Zayed Future Energy Prize at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on January 19th. The annual award recognizes extraordinary accomplishments that “reflect innovation, long-term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability.” Dr. Shi received a prize of US$350,000 at the awards ceremony from His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Dr. Shi has pledged to donate the funds to the Shi Family Foundation, which will provide solar systems for schools throughout the Middle East. www.suntech-power.com
38 – Global Solar Technology – March 2010
MEMC and Conergy settle litigation; amend supply agreement MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., and German solar developer Conergy AG have reached an out of court settlement of a lawsuit related to a solar wafer supply contract between Conergy and MEMC Singapore Pte. Ltd. The terms of the amended contract include a significant reduction in the minimum quantity of wafers that Conergy must purchase over the remaining 8+ years of the contract, as well as a minimum market share commitment should Conergy’s demand exceed the reduced quantities. The amendment also modifies the pricing terms to be based on market rates similar to other MEMC long-term solar wafer supply agreements. The settlement includes a payment to MEMC of an undisclosed amount. www.memc.com Targray reports substantial increases in 2009 Global silicon sales market share Targray Technology International Inc saw a significant increase in the company’s 2009 silicon sales volume. Shipments of solar grade silicon, ingot and off-spec or scrap materials have increased by 128% over 2008. Howard Alter, director of Targray’s Silicon division, attributes the volume increase in part to Targray’s comprehensive global infrastructure and its dedicated team of Silicon specialists. www.targray.com Evolution Solar announces MOU with Texas Southern University Evolution Solar Corporation have executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Texas Southern University for the purpose of locating a solar demonstration site at the University’s campus in Houston, Texas. The MOU between EVSO and Texas Southern University finalizes a selection process by the company in which several potential University sites were considered for the location of a cuttingedge solar demonstration project. “This solar demonstration site will make the latest solar energy technology available to bright young minds for learning as well as an available model for future company clients,” said Robert Hines, president of EVSO. www.evolutionsolar.com Applied Nanotech Holdings expands its presence in solar field Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc., entered into an agreement with ArimaEco Energy Technologies Corporation of Taiwan. As part of the collaboration between the two
companies, ANI will take advantage of the high thermal diffusivity and low CTE of CarbAl™ material to further improve the efficiency and lifetime of CPV systems by increasing the sun concentration, reducing solar cell temperatures, limiting temperature fluctuations, and reducing thermal stresses caused by different rates of thermal expansion. As part of the agreement, ANI will also represent ArimaEco CPV systems in the state of Texas on an exclusive basis. Working with ArimaEco, ANI intends to implement its concept of “energy fields” by combining the existing land and infrastructure for capturing wind energy in Texas with high efficiency and low cost CPV solar energy systems. www.appliednanotech.net, www.arimaeco.com European solar cell manufacturer orders UltraFlex™ firing furnace Despatch Industries received an order for an UltraFlex™ firing furnace from a European solar cell manufacturing company that has plans to utilize the UltraFlex™ in its testing lab for paste and printer development. “We have seen a great response in our UltraFlex™ products from solar manufacturers worldwide, and especially from those companies doing research and development,” said Jeff Bell, Despatch solar product manager. Despatch has also recently received US $5 million in orders from Taiwan solar manufacturers. www.despatch.com Trina Solar announces sales agreement with ITEC Trina Solar Limited has entered into an agreement with ITEC Solar GmbH of Germany for a total of 40 MW of PV modules to be delivered during 2010. Under the terms of the agreement, 18 MW will be shipped during the first half of 2010, with agreed prices for the first quarter. Initial shipments commenced in January 2010. www.trinasolar.com, www.itec-vertrieb.com Heraeus receives largest solar paste order in company’s history from Yingli Green Energy Heraeus global business unit manager Andy London announced that the company has received their largest order for production of Front Side Silver Paste in the history of the company. The order of Front Side Silver Pastes, placed by one of the leading vertically integrated photovoltaic product manufacturers in China, Yingli Green Energy Holding
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Industry News
Company Limited, will enable the manufacturer to further improve the conversion efficiency of their PV cells. www.heraeus.com ICP Solar and EPOD Solar (Canada) enter into definitive agreement ICP Solar Technologies Inc. has signed a definitive agreement with EPOD Solar Inc. under the terms of which Mike Matvieshen takes the position of chairman and CEO of ICP Solar, replacing Sass Peress who will remain as president of the solar consumer goods subsidiary and as a board member. “EPOD looks forward to working with ICP Solar’s retail partners which are amongst the largest retailers in the world, as well as its strategic vendor and brand partners, to brand and market solar power systems globally. Epod intends to do this through sale/lease programs and through long term power sales agreements for the full spectrum of customers from utilities to home owners,” said Mike Matvieshen. “I am extremely excited about our combined future opportunities, and believe that we will be able to leverage ICP Solar’s built-in network for future business development.” www.icpsolar.com, www. epodsolar.com Concentrix Solar wins IEC certification for new CPV module ‘CX-75’ Concentrix Solar, a new division of the Soitec Group, received IEC certification 62108 for its CX-75 FLATCON® module generation. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the world’s leading electrical and electronic standards organization. IEC 62108 is the CPV industry’s standard, ensuring that modules and assemblies are suitable for long-term operation in a wide range of outdoor climates. By producing the CX-75 module in the company’s industry leading, fully-automated production line in Freiburg, Germany, Concentrix Solar is uniquely able to ensure consistent, highest-precision manufacturing in high volumes,a critical factor in ensuring high nominal AC system efficiency and long-term reliability. www.concentrix-solar. de, www.soitec.com
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Global Solar Technology – March 2010 – 39
Events Calendar 3-5 March 2010 PV Expo 2010 Tokyo, Japan www.pvexpo.jp 3-5 March 2010 25th Photovoltaic Symposium Bad Staffelstein, Germany www.otti.de 16-18 March 2010 Semicon China 2010 Shanghai, China www.semi.org 30 March-1 April 2010 2010 5th AsiaSolar PV Industry Exhibition & Forum Shanghai, China www.asiasolarexpo.com 27 April 2010 PHOTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8th Solar Silicon Conference Stuttgart, Germany www.photon-expo.com
17-22 May 2010 Solar 2010 Phoenix, United States www.ases.org 24-26 May 2010 PV America Tampa, United States events.jspargo.com 9-11 June 2010 Intersolar Munich, Germany www.intersolar.de 30 June-2 July 2010 PV Japan 2010 Yokohama, Japan www.semi.org/PVJAPAN-EN/ 13-15 July 2010 Intersolar North America San Francisco, California, USA www.intersolar.us
2-5 September 2010 Soltec Hameln, Germany www.rainer-timpe.de 12-14 October 2010 Solar Power 2010 Los Angeles, California, USA www.solarelectricpower.org 26-28 October 2010 PV Taiwan 2010 Taipei, Taiwan www.pvtaiwan.com 27-29 October 2010 DIREC 2010 Delhi, India www.exhibitionsindiagroup.com 17-19 November 2010 PVTech Milan, Italy www.hitechexpo.eu
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Paul Davis Interview Inside
MATERIALS AND THE GROWTH OF PV TECHNOLOGY COMBATING THE IMPACT OF CONTAMINATION IN SOLAR CELL PRODUCTION
FLEXIBLE SILVER PASTE ENABLES THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC FLEX SOLAR CELLS
NEW PRODUCTS
CONVERTING CONSIDERATIONS FOR FLEXIBLE MATERIALS
INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
ULTRASONIC ATOMIZATION FOR UNIFORM DISPENSING AND COATING OF
Jan/Feb 2009
Nov/Dec 2008
TRANSFER PRINTING: AN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FOR MASSIVELY PARALLEL ASSEMBLY OF MICRODEVICES
Bjorn Dahle Interview Inside NEW PRODUCTS INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
NANOPARTICLES SOLAR: IT’S ABOUT TIME
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Volume 2 Number 3 May/June 2009
Volume 2 Number 4 July/August 2009
Steamer vS. torch in Pv manufacturing—a coSt of ownerShiP comPariSon
comBing in the energY
Dr. Madhusudan V. Atre Interview Inside NEW PRODUCTS INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
The imporTance of cpk Debugging anD verifying microinverTers for phoTovolTaic insTallaTions lasers, for more efficienT solar cells
News for Solar Manufacturing Industry
Volume 2 Number 2 March/April 2009
SOLAR INTEGRATION TAKES A PAGE FROM THE SEMI WAFER CSP PLAYBOOK
NEW PRODUCTS
LASER SCRIBING TOOLS EDGE IN FRONT
INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
March/April 2009
PerSPectiveS on SemiconDuctor ecoSYStem—the SoLar route
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CONFORMAL COATING IMPROVES THE RELIABILITY AND LIFE OF SOLAR INVERTERS
Rajinder Kumar Interview Inside NEW PRODUCTS INDUSTRY NEWS INTERNATIONAL DIARY
Title
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42 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Global Solar Technology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; March 2010
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