Global Solar Technology No. 3.8 (September 2010) by Trafalgar Publications

www.globalsolartechnology.com

The Global Journal for Solar and PV Manufacturing Professionals

Volume 3 Number 8 September 2010

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance cost/ratio Gas abatement strategies for green manufacturinG Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy

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Contents

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Contents

Volume 3, Number 8 September 2010

EDITORIAL 2 Steady improvement (with a few speed bumps!) Alan Rae

Technology Focus

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/ cost ratio Dr. Weiming Zhang, Heraeus Materials Technology LLC

12 Gas abatement strategies for green manufacturing Stewart Davidson, Edwards

26 Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy Jim McElroy and Robert Pfahl, iNEMI Special Features

30 CEO Interview: Rick Weiler, Atlas Material Testing Technology 32 Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC 45 PVT Solar’s hybrid thermal and PV systems—blowing both hot and cold! Regular COLUMNS

16 2Q’10 continues to set records Jon Custer-Topai Regular Features

4 24 38 42 48

Industry News Technological Developments Analyst Buzz New Products Events Calendar

Visit the website for more news & content: www.globalsolartechnology.com.

A selective emitter (SE) increases solar cell efficiency through enhanced blue response. (Photo: Manz Automation)

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 1

Editorial

Dr. Alan Rae

Editorial Offices

Europe Global Solar Technology Trafalgar Publications Ltd Unit 18, 2 Lansdowne Crescent Bournemouth Dorset, BH1 1SA United Kingdom Tel: +44 7766 951665 news@globalsolartechnology.com www.globalsolartechnology.com United States Global Solar Technology PO Box 7579 Naples, FL 34102, USA Tel: +1 (239) 245-9264 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 Mobile: +1 (239) 245-9264 x101 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) 245-9264 x106 subscriptions@globalsolartechnology.com

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Technical Editor, Global Solar Technology

Steady improvement (with a few speed bumps!) “Nothing is as ever as bad as you feared or as good as you hoped!” That certainly seems to be the situation with the Gulf oil spill…the warm water and bacteria seem to have done their job to disperse, decompose and evaporate the oil, and the fishing grounds are reopening. The President was even seen bathing at a Gulf beach. The economic situation is still bleak though for many people, and in our industry the hope that an energy policy would make its way through Congress any time soon has evaporated as fast as the oil. That means we still have to continue the work of lowering costs and increasing efficiencies, without the prospect of a Federal assist in stimulating the markets. The good news is that our industry is still growing, costs are reducing, and this month the press releases are overall much more positive than we have seen for a while—a selection from the first two weeks of August includes improving results (Q-Cell, Spire, aleo solar, Phoenix ), new facilities ( AQT Solar, Yingli, Kyocera), significant new installations (Powell TN, Wayne MI, Tucson AR, Glendale AR, Pilbara in Western Australia), expanded resources (Heraeus, Sharp) and new equipment (Rehm, DEK, Vitronic). At Intersolar in San Francisco last month we saw a steady progression in technology rather than revolutionary changes, with industry supply chain leaders doing great work in improving products for better throughput and lower costs. I had an opportunity to talk to Kate Wilson, technology and applications director at Edwards, on the developments in adapting vacuum pumps to operate under adverse conditions involving particulate or corrosive materials. You will find their

2 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

article in this issue very interesting. As the alternative energy industry grows, upstream and downstream supply chain issues will become increasingly important. One very important codependency will be with the balance of system suppliers in the electronics industry. There are real issues in reliability in the solar and wind industries where the mean time to failure of electronic systems may be as low as one quarter of the planned system life. Connectors, microinverters, inverters and power control electronics are produced by a surprisingly large number of suppliers and increasingly the large and very competent contract manufacturing (EMS) houses such as Celestica and Flextronics. Essentially, the problem is we need aerospace reliability and longevity at a consumer electronics price point. iNEMI, the international electronics manufacturing initiative, is best known for its roadmapping, gap analysis and practical cooperation between OEM, EMS, equipment, material and service providers. iNEMI is holding a two-day Alternative Energy Workshop at Cisco Systems, San Jose, CA, to bring together supply chain leaders to identify and help prioritize the cost, reliability, technology and infrastructure issues facing the industry. You can find further details at http://www. inemi.org/cms/calendar/Energy_WS_ Oct2010.html. Finally September 6-10 sees EU PVSEC in Valencia, Spain. In this issue we preview the show and conference. Our team will be on the floor ensuring that you get a full report on the web site and the print editions of Global Solar Technology. —Alan Rae, PhD

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Industry news

Industry news Dow Corning and University of Toledo to collaborate on solar R&D Researchers at Dow Corning and The University of Toledo are collaborating on photovoltaic solar research and development efforts, working together to help reduce the cost of solar energy to make it a viable and economically competitive energy option globally. The collaboration, which could include the addition of other universities or businesses in the future, offers researchers from both organizations the opportunity to share data and technology while allowing both to protect their intellectual property. dowcorning.com, www.utoledo.edu Wurth Solar acquires SolarMarkt AG Wurth Solar is acquiring the Freiburgbased company SolarMarkt AG and its subsidiary Creotecc GmbH and all foreign subsidiaries and project companies. The expertise and know-how of both companies will now be pooled under the umbrella of Wurth Solar. Wurth Solar is the leading innovator in manufacturing CIS solar power modules and distributes full-line photovoltaic systems under the Wurth Solar brand directly and through certified service partners in Europe. SolarMarkt AG has been successfully active on the market, in the wholesale and system integration business for 25 years. Through its subsidiary Creotecc, it is also a manufacturer, product developer and dealer of mounting systems for photovoltaics. www.wuerth-solar.de Solexant to locate 100 MW solar facility in Oregon Solexant Corp., developer of thirdgeneration ultrathin-film PV technology, selected the city of Gresham, Oregon, for the location of its first commercialscale nanocrystal manufacturing facility. Upon completion, the 100MW plant will be Oregon’s first thin film solar manufacturing plant and the largest nanotechnology manufacturing facility in the world. Solexant expects to receive a $25 million SELP loan from the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), the largest loan bestowed in the 30-year history of the state energy loan program. The solar manufacturing plant will employ as many as 200 Oregonians (97 confirmed local

employees in the BETC agreement). The company expects to build additional 100 MW lines in Gresham after the first line becomes operational. www.solexant.com Camstar to hold 2011 Global Customer Conference May 9-12, 2011 in California Camstar Systems, Inc. announced that its 2011 Global Customer Conference will be held May 9-12, 2011, at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. Registration for the event is now open at conference2011.camstar.com. The theme of the Camstar Customer Conference 2011 is “Advancing Product Quality across the Supply Chain.” From design to sourcing to process planning to manufacturing to field use, the conference will look at the entire product lifecycle and the implications of a closed-loop continuous improvement environment on advancing product quality across all areas. Sessions will explore not only state-of-the-art approaches for achieving top quality, accelerating innovation, and achieving operational excellence, but also the enabling technologies and services solutions that ensure success. conference2011.camstar.com Solarfun to expand cell capacity and introduction of high-efficiency cell technology Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. plans to increase its cell capacity by 50 MW through the enhancement of its manufacturing processes and to convert 160 MW of its existing cell lines to high-efficiency selective emitter technology, both to be completed in the early first quarter of 2011. The company’s cell capacity is expected to reach 550 MW by the early first quarter of 2011. The addition of 50 MW incremental capacity will be achieved through debottlenecking and the enhancement of manufacturing processes without the purchase of any new cell lines. The Company also announced that new manufacturing complexes are currently under construction, allowing for major future cell and module capacity additions. These facilities will be completed during the first half of 2011 and are expected to provide the ability to add 500 MW of cell capacity and 1.2 GW of module capacity. www.solarfun-power.com

4 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

First Solar completes acquisition of NextLight Renewable Power First Solar, Inc. has completed the acquisition of NextLight Renewable Power, LLC, a solar development firm formed by the inaugural fund of Energy Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in North America’s energy infrastructure. With the NextLight acquisition, First Solar now has power purchase agreements for 2.2 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects in North America. First Solar acquired NextLight in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $297 million, subject to finalization of the estimated closing date adjustments. NextLight’s team of project developers and other staff have joined First Solar. www.firstsolar.com Combination of LINEA and SINGULAR machines accepted for the serial production of solar cells A European solar cell manufacturer accepted a LINEA texturing machine of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES’ subsidiary STANGL as well as an inline coating machine of the SINGULAR type for the anti-reflective coating of silicon solar cells with an additional integrated inline machine for the wet-chemical treatment of crystalline solar cells. Accordingly, SINGULUS realized the first installation of a so-called front-end system. With the combination of phosphor cleaning and anti-reflective coating two important processing steps were integrated into a fully automated process. The antireflective layer is an important element in the production process of solar cells and ties directly to the value-added chain from STANGL’s LINEA machine. www.singulus.de GP Solar receives large order for measuring technology GP Solar GmbH is outfitting an established manufacturer of polycrystalline solar cells with a total of 82 optical measuring GP NANO D systems for process and quality control. The Taiwanese customer is building five new 60 megawatt production lines, which will more than double its production capacity. The order volume totals some four million euros.

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Industry news

Delivery of the measuring systems will run until September 2010. www.gpsolar.de New tests reveal BioSolar’s BioBacksheet improves solar panel efficiency and power output BioSolar, Inc., reports that rigorous testing by an independent authority reveals that BioBacksheet can actually improve the power output of solar panels by dissipating heat faster. According to tests performed in June by ThermTest, Inc, BioBacksheet’s measured thermal conductivity was 70 percent higher than the current petroleum based backsheets. The higher thermal conductivity of the materials used to make the BioBacksheet allows the heat that builds up from solar exposure to be more effectively dissipated into the surrounding air. Thus the higher thermal conductivity contributes to a lower operating temperature within the PV module, directly leading to higher energy efficiency and improved power output for PV modules incorporating a BioBacksheet. www.biosolar.com GT Solar ships 1000th DSS450 crystalline ingot growth furnace GT Solar International, Inc., achieved the milestone shipment of its 1,000th DSS450TM crystalline ingot growth furnace. The recipient of the system is long-time Chinese customer Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited. The milestone shipment is part of a signed contract with Yingli which GT Solar announced in a press release issued on February 25, 2010. Under the terms of the contract, GT Solar is supplying its marketleading DSS450 ingot growth furnaces for installation in Yingli Green Energy’s new Hainan 100MW manufacturing facility. www.gtsolar.com, www.yinglisolar.com

Spire wins DOE grant for solar cells & wafers Spire Corporation received a grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a microcrack detection system for solar cells and wafers. A significant percentage of PV cells contain microcracks that are difficult to detect with currently available technology. These cracks can spread through the cells, resulting in power loss and cell breakage during module assembly and post installation. As part of this program, a non-contact photoluminescent technique will be developed to image microcracks. This technology will be integrated into highspeed crack detection cell test equipment for cell and module assembly lines. www.SpireCorp.com Yingli Green to collaborate with Innovalight to boost multicrystalline cell efficiency Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited signed a technology, research and production collaboration agreement with Innovalight, Inc., through which Yingli Green Energy expects to raise the average efficiency of the multicrystalline cells produced on its commercial production lines. Innovalight manufactures a proprietary nanotechnology-based silicon ink and licenses a proprietary platform process which allows a simple upgrade to solar cell manufacturing production lines to boost performance of solar cells and lower production costs. www.yinglisolar.com, www.innovalight.com Cutting-edge collaboration awarded $1.6 million DOE grant for energy storage research What if the energy generated from solar panels could be used even after the sun went down? What if energy from wind

farms could be used on days when Mother Nature decided to be still? Imagine if we could prevent blackouts on peak days by storing clean energy in advance. All of these could be possible with innovations in green energy storage. A cutting-edge collaboration among DuPont, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Bosch, and 3M was just awarded a grant for $1.6 million by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop a longer-lasting, less expensive way to store clean energy. This technology is aimed at improving the operation of the electric grid through the temporary storage of electrical energy with a new battery system. The work will be carried out at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.; Bosch in Palo Alto, Calif., and Cambridge, Mass.; DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del.; and facilities at 3M. The ARPA-E grant is part of the $92 million in awards announced by the Department of Energy. www.lbl.gov, www. bosch.com, www.3m.com, www.dupont.com Ascent Solar externally certifies module encapsulation material for its flexible PV laminate Ascent Solar Technologies’ packaging solution for flexible monolithically integrated CIGS modules has successfully passed a critical environmental testing milestone. An independent laboratory conducted a series of tests on Ascent Solar modules under the requirements of the IEC 61646 standards. The Ascent Solar solution successfully passed all of the test requirements including the rigorous standard of one thousand (1,000) hours of damp heat testing (85 % relative humidity and 85˚C temperature) set forth by IEC for performance and long term reliability. www.ascentsolar.com Trina Solar appoints chief strategy officer and sr. vice president, operations Trina Solar Limited recently appointed Mr. Sean Tzou to the new position of chief strategy officer and Mr. Gary Yu, who served as Trina Solar’s vice president of manufacturing since May 2007, to the position of senior vice president, operations. Mr. Tzou served as the company’s chief operations officer from March 2007 until June 2010. The new position of chief strategy officer will Mr. Tzou to focus on key strategic growth areas, including sales team management, channel Continued on page 46

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 5

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio Dr. Weiming Zhang, Heraeus Materials Technology LLC, Photovoltaic Business Unit, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA

The quality and performance of silver paste has a profound impact on the silicon solar cell’s performance-to-cost ratio, a topic that is addressed in detail in this paper. Inorganic

Keywords: Silver Paste, Si Solar Cells, Contact Resistance, Line Conductivity, Finger Aspect Ratio

Organics

Figure 1. Simplified composition tree of silver paste.

Introduction The year 2009 was a nearly unprecedented period of extremes in the photovoltaic industry. During the first quarter, the so-called “Solar Winter,” a phenomenon caused by the worldwide economic downturn in general and the Spanish market crash in particular, nearly shut down the solar power manufacturing industry. But the industry rebounded strongly, experiencing explosive growth in many segments during the third and fourth quarters of the year. Multiple marketing research firms confirmed that the silicon solar cell production volume in 2009 was more than 8 GW, with more than 50% growth over 2008. Almost all cell manufacturers were running at full capacity throughout the second half of 2009, and that trend has continued so far in 2010. The general outlook for the PV industry for 2010 is positive, even with the

6 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

concerns over the German government cut of the feed-in tariff (FIT) starting in July 2010. Several major solar cell producers have announced plans for production capacity expansion. There is a growing consensus among these companies that the PV industry needs to graduate from government incentive programs and achieve grid parity in the normal utility markets as soon as possible. A few key players in this industry have already laid out their roadmaps, targeting a goal of $1 per watt at some point between 2012 and 2015. To reach this goal, solar cell manufacturers, material suppliers, and equipment vendors will have to align their efforts and cooperate with one another like never before. The quality and performance of silver paste has a profound impact on the silicon solar cell’s performance-to-cost ratio, a

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How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio

cell efficiency. Base Si wafer quality, which is usually quantified by minority carrier lifetime, passivation quality and backsurface field quality have a direct impact on open circuit voltage (Voc). Surface texturing quality, anti-reflectance layer quality and emitter quality are the major driving forces for short circuit current (Isc). While both Voc and Isc are limited by minority carrier recombination, fill factor (FF) is the direct indicator of paste contact quality. Figure 3, originally published in 20041, shows the loss mechanism in screen-printing (SP) production cells compared with photolithography (PL) lab cells. Although Si solar cell production technology, products and processes—in particular screen-printing and pastes— have been improved greatly, it is still true that major efficiency loss results from metallization pastes contact quality, grid shading (reflectance) and poor short wavelength response. The direct impact on efficiency loss from metallization (SP to PL) is roughly 1%; the other 0.7% is also more or less limited by metallization paste. It is clear that the quality and performance of metallization paste play a critical role on the path toward improving Si solar cell efficiency.

Ag SiN ARC N+ emitter

P base Si

P+ BSF BS Al

Figure 2. Schematic of traditional Si solar cell and efficiency equation.

The differentiators of silver paste for Si Solar cell

Figure 3. Loss factors in screen-printing Si solar cells.

topic that is addressed in detail in this paper. Silver paste fundamentals There are some similarities between silver paste for silicon solar cells and for traditional thick film applications such as hybrid circuits. The components of the paste, manufacturing process, and even some application processes, such as screenprinting, are fairly similar. What is silver (Ag) paste? Paste is a uniformly dispersed mixture with multiple inorganic and organic components (Figure 1). Since paste needs to be applied onto wafers by either screen-printing or other deposition methods, organic compounds serve as a temporary carrier, which accounts for the viscous nature of the paste. Those organic compounds will be evaporated and burned out during the drying/firing step and leave inorganic compounds on the wafers. Each element in the paste has its own function. For instance, Ag powder provides conductivity,

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Figure 4. Making good contact without shunting.

and glass helps penetrate antireflective layers, but it is the systematic combination of all functional elements that differentiates the performance of one paste from another. High-performance, highquality silver paste should offer features such as good printability, fine line and high aspect ratio, screen life, solderability, a processing window, etc., as well as good electrical and mechanical properties such as high efficiency and reliability. Factors that affect Si Solar cell efficiency Although the theoretical efficiency of a Si solar cell is close to 29%, and up to 24.7% on mono crystalline cells has been achieved in labs, most production screen-printing cells today are running at ~18% efficiency for mono crystalline cells and ~16.3% for multi crystalline cells. The structure of a production cell, shown in Figure 2, looks simple. Many factors, however, from both the material side and processing side, can significantly affect

Contact resistance One of the unique processing steps for silicon solar cells that poses a significant challenge for silver paste is called “spike firing.” Within a few seconds of reaching 600 ˚C, silver paste needs to fire through the antireflective layer (normally SiNx:H layer at about 70 nm) to make as low as possible contact with the silicon without shunting the N/P junction, which lies only a few tenths of a micron underneath (Figure 4). The paste’s low contact resistance remains one of the most important differentiating factors among the commercially available silver pastes for N+ contact in the market today. Figure 5 shows paste A (left) and paste B (right) fired on the same wafer under the same firing profile. The difference in the interface between the Ag conductor and Si wafer is noticeable; paste A has a thick glass interface, while the interface glass layer is thin for most of the area of paste B. The result is that paste A has almost double the contact resistance of paste B. Heraeus silver paste SOL9235H, due to its unique chemistry, provides one of the lowest contact resistance measurements

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 7

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio

Figure 5. Thick glass interface (left) and thin glass interface (right).

Finger aspect ratio Due to the complex nature of double printing and much tighter requirements on printers and screens, PV cell manufacturers still prefer single print with a target of high aspect ratio. The ability to achieve higher aspect ratio finger lines is another factor that differentiates the commercially available silver pastes in the market today. Figure 8 shows a comparison of finger lines between Heraeus silver paste SOL9235H (Figure 8a) and a non-Heraeus silver paste (Figure 8b). The morphology is significantly different, with SOL9235H offering narrower, but taller, finger lines. This is another key benefit of SOL9235H: it delivers higher current density of cells due to reduced shading from fingers and lower series resistance. Since screen-printing does not necessarily lend itself to high aspect ratio lines; the impact of screen quality to paste transfer and final print on cells is significant but unfortunately often ignored in the industry. A screen with poor exposure quality (either overexposed or underexposed) often has rough edges of the opening and/or “clogs” as shown in Figure 9. It would not be surprising to see breaks on these cells due to the screen clogs.

Figure 6. SEM cross section of porous and dense finger line.

Figure 7. SEM cross-section of double printing finger line.

in the industry. This results in the highest fill factor of cells, on a wide range of sheet resistance emitters (from 50 to 80 ohm/ sq). Line conductivity Although contact resistance is the key part of series resistance (Rs) of the cell, finger line resistance cannot be ignored. A few trends currently in the industry—such as three busbar design, double printing and two steps of metallization—are aimed at improving finger line conductivity. A well-formulated silver paste could have almost 50% higher conductivity compared to other pastes. Figure 6 shows a relatively porous microstructure of fired Ag finger

improvement and metallization paste progression. Another benefit is the de-link paste for finger line and busbar, which allows the application of non-etching paste on the busbar only as a means to minimizing recombination underneath the busbar area. An improvement of a few mV Voc has been demonstrated2. Heraeus is offering a special paste—CL80-9381—for the second layer and busbar application to help customers take advantage of double printing technology. Using a combination of SOL9235H (first layer) and CL80-9381 (second layer), 60 µm x 25 µm finger lines can be achieved with another 30% increase of finger line conductivity (Figure 7).

Figure 8. Higher aspect ratio of Heraeus SOL9235H.

cross section on the left, while on the right the finger is much denser, which provides a base for better conductivity. Double printing technology is currently a hot topic because of the potential for efficiency gain (theoretically as high as 0.5%), printer alignment accuracy

8 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Adhesion strength Adhesion of silver paste on silicon solar cells is getting more attention in the PV industry today because module manufacturers are offering 25-year warranties on their modules. The ability to make good on that warranty depends in large part on the materials used to make it, and paste adhesion is a significant factor in helping to extend the lifetime of the cells within the modules. Although there is no industry standard for adhesion testing, pull strength and failure mode are usually two differentiators for silver paste.

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How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio

Figure 9. New screen with “clogs” on opening.

Soldering methods (IR, hot air or others) and profiles, ribbon types and flux types all affect solderability and the adhesion of paste. From a silver paste formulation standpoint, we saw a strong link between paste composition and adhesion (Figure 10). The failure mode of Ag/Si interface after a pull test remains an area of debate3. Generally speaking, engineers would like to avoid the “cratering” defect (large chunks of Si were pulled out, as shown in Figure 11) after an adhesion test, due to the concern about possible micro cracks underneath the busbar after firing and soldering. A so-called cohesive failure mode, i.e. the failure that happens inside Ag paste (Figure 12), is preferred in the PV industry. Heraeus has specially designed and provided high adhesion strength with cohesive failure mode silver paste SOL9235HS to help our customers meet high reliability requirements. Firing window A wider processing window is one of the key features that cell manufacturers want. Since the actual temperature of a wafer during firing will be influenced by wafer thickness, AR coating uniformity, and emitter uniformity, as well as furnace temperature fluctuation, each wafer will see quite large variations in temperature. This is one of the reasons that production lines today still see significant variation in efficiency. The ability of Ag paste to maintain good contact without shunting cells in a wide range of firing temperature is another key factor. SOL9235H has proven, in many actual customer production lines, that it maintains a high efficiency during wider temperature processing windows than competitive paste (Figure 13). The feedback from the field supports the results of our internal study on the impact of firing furnace belt speed (and thus firing profiles) on cell efficiency as shown in Figure 14. In this study, the furnace temperature set points were identical for all samples; only belt

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Figure 10. The relationship of paste composition to paste adhesion.

Figure 11. Adhesive failure of Ag/Si interface.

Figure 12. Cohesive failure of Ag/Si interface.

Figure 13. Wider processing window of SOL9235H

speed was changed from 6,000 to 7,200 mm/min. This test demonstrated the performance robustness of SOL9235H under different firing profiles. The benefit of efficiency gain from silver paste Cell efficiency improvement in the Si PV

industry is roughly 0.5% per year. The contribution from the metallization paste side, in particular front side silver paste, is well recognized. In the second quarter of 2009, Heraeus introduced its flagship silver paste, SOL9235H, to the silicon PV market. The financial benefit to customers who adopt Heraeus paste into

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 9

How silver paste can improve silicon solar cell performance/cost ratio

their production line has been significant. As shown in Figure 15, our customers saw a 0.2% to 0.4% efficiency gain with SOL9235H over other silver pastes on both multi crystalline and mono crystalline cells. Assuming a sale price for cells of $1 per W, this translates into a 6%-12% cost saving per cell.

Figure 14. Belt speed’s impact on cell efficiency with SOL9235H.

References 1. M.M. Hilali, A. Rohatgi and B. To; “A review and understanding of screen-printed contacts and selectiveemitter formation”; Proc. Of the 14th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells and Modules (2004) 2. T. Pham and W. Zhang, “Improving electrical performance by double print method and non contact busbar design”; submit to 25th EU PVSEC (2010) 3. J. Moyer and W. Zhang, “The role of silver contact paste on reliable connectivity systems”; submit to 25th EU PVSEC (2010)

Dr. Weiming Zhang is vice president, technology, for Heraeus Materials Technology’s Photovoltaic Business Unit. Zhang graduated from Missouri Rolla with a PhD in ceramic engineering and during his tenure at Heraeus has been credited with the development of products that range from LTCC powders, tape and paste to terminations for different component applications

Figure 15. Cell performance gain from SOL9235H.

10 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Figure 16. New generation silver paste SOL94xx performance on 100 ohm/sq emitter.

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«Competition is not about winning. It’s about being better than the rest.» Robby Naish Youngest windsurfing world champion ever at the age of 13; the world speed record holder; continuously leading the world championship for more than 25 years

We at Oerlikon Solar are proud to provide a new revolutionary solar technology that is ahead of its time. Be a part of the revolution and find out more about the new THINFAB and its world record breaking non-toxic, environmentally friendly solar technology at www.oerlikon.com /solar/thinfab. Visit us at the EU PVSEC Valencia, September 6-10, 2010: Hall 2, Level 2, Booth Number B8

Gas abatement strategies for green manufacturing

Gas abatement strategies for green manufacturing Stewart Davidson, Edwards, Clevedon, UK

The solar industry has garnered considerable public and government support due to its clean image. Since solar device manufacturing involves the use of greenhouse gases and other potential pollutants, abating these gases is a critical production issue. While no abatement system can address all manufacturing applications, matching the right system to the process can minimize safety issues, avoid environmental problems and even reduce manufacturing costs. This article discusses some of the key factors to consider when choosing an abatement system. Keywords: Abatement, Solar, Green Manufacturing, Clean Gases, Silane, Potent Greenhouse Gases

Introduction Solar is one of the most environmentally friendly long-term energy-generation solutions currently available. However, its success depends on more than just cost-per-watt parity with conventional energy sources, such as natural gas, oil and coal. For the solar industry to continue to garner strong support from governments and the public, it must also continue to retain its “green” image. Over 80% of solar device manufacturing involves the use of greenhouse gases and other potential pollutants, and manufacturers must successfully mitigate these manufacturing by-products. Not surprisingly, waste gas abatement systems are, therefore, an increasingly important part of any solar device manufacturing line. Since there is no single abatement solution that performs equally in all manufacturing applications, it is important to choose the optimum abatement solution for a particular process. Doing so can minimize gas handling safety issues, avoid negative environmental publicity and even reduce overall manufacturing costs. This article will highlight issues associated with solar panel/cell manufacturing and discuss some of the key factors to consider when choosing an abatement system. Basic considerations Traditional abatement systems, such as those intended for use in the semiconductor, flat panel and hard disk industries, have been designed to deal with many of the same toxic and flammable gases, as well as global warming gases, used in the solar industry. While the abatement of these gases, such as silane, remains a concern for the solar industry, manufacturers must also be concerned about managing so-called “clean” gases (i.e. gases used to clean excess chemical deposition from the process chambers between wafers), such as NF3,SF6 and their by-products. These gases are potent greenhouse gases that can contribute to

12 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Figure 1. Controlling silane during the abatement process.

global warming, one of the very issues solar energy is intended to address. In addition, since achieving costper-watt parity is critical to driving solar industry expansion, the cost of ownership of any abatement system must be considered. This includes such contributors as price and availability of fuel and water, and the cost of waste water treatment. Many abatement systems, for example, require a significant amount of water (from 30m3/day to 100m3/day for a single abatement system) to manage the hydrogen fluoride (HF) produced in the abating of the manufacturing process waste gases. Finally, there is the experience and track record of the abatement system supplier to consider. Is the supplier knowledgeable about the environmental regulations in the region, or regions, where manufacturing operations will be located? Does it have a solid record in providing abatement solutions to the solar industry, in general, and in that region in particular? Failure to take any of these factors into account can have costly effects on both manufacturing expenses and the environment. Key issues There are a number of key issues that need to be considered when deciding on the right abatement solution, they

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 13

Gas abatement strategies for green manufacturing

include: silane management, the importance of complete gas combustion, hydrogen management, powder management, clean gas management, waste water management, unwanted by-product formation and abatement efficiency. Silane management Silane (SiH4) gas is used in the manufacture of amorphous silicon (α-Si) solar cells. Silane is a pyrophoric gas, which can combust spontaneously in air in concentrations as low as 2%. Maintaining proper levels of oxygen and silane in the exhaust stream Figure 3. White, stable SiO2 formed by complete oxidation. Figure 2. Brown, unstable SiOn resulting from incomis, therefore, critical to avoiding plete silane combustion. dangerous spontaneous combustion Clean gas management accidents while still ensuring Solar manufacturers wishing to maintain effective destruction of the silane. (shown in Figure 2), lies in the presence green manufacturing footprints, must Figure 1 graphically highlights this issue. of a fueled flame in the combustion understand the potential impact of As Figure 1 shows, using dilution to zone, rather than relying solely on the using gases such as NF3, SF6 and F2 to prevent the spontaneous combustion pyrophoric nature of the gas itself to clean excess deposits from the process of the silane gas relies on maintaining ensure complete oxidation. chamber between wafers. NF3 and SF6 are an oxygen level greater than the LOC greenhouse gases that can contribute to (limiting oxygen concentration), or a Hydrogen management global warming when released into the silane level less than LFL (lower flammable Since hydrogen is a highly flammable gas, atmosphere. F2 can produce highly caustic limit). Using the pyrophoric nature of the it is critical that the proper conditions be by-products, such as silicon fluorides, silane to auto-ignite the gas during the maintained until it enters the combustion ammonia fluorides or hydrogen fluorides, abatement process, on the other hand, zone in the abatement system. Figure depending on the process. Any abatement depends on ensuring that the oxygen level 4 highlights two distinct areas, the system dealing with these gases and their is greater than LOC and the silane level is flammable and non-flammable zones. by-products must also deal with the waste greater than LFL. As is also shown, small H2 concentrations should be kept in the water used during the abatement process, perturbations (air leaks or variations in non-flammable zone until entering the including any solids the water contains. nitrogen flow, for example) can change combustor to prevent premature ignition. these conditions. For efficient and safe operation, the abatement system must be Powder management able to closely control both the fuel (silane) One of the potential by-products of abating “Over 80% of solar and the oxidant (oxygen) to ensure they certain chemicals through combustion device manufacturing remain at optimal levels. is powder, which can potentially clog the Two additional dangers exist if the exhaust system. Each liter of SiH4, for involves the use of abatement system fails to combine efficient example, generates 2.67 g of silica (SiO2) greenhouse gases combustion with a stable ignition source. when burned. A typical thin-film CVD First, if hydrogen is also present during a tool can generate tens of tons of silica per and other potential deposition process step, there is the danger year. It is critical to control the reaction pollutants.” that the silane might ignite in a hydrogenchemistry at the inlet nozzles to minimize air mixture as the mixture is exhausted to premature formation of powder that can the atmosphere. Second, incomplete silane block the nozzles and the combustor itself. Clean gas abatement efficiency combustion can result in the formation of The most efficient way to do this is to Nitorgen triflouride (NF3) is the sub-oxides (SiOn where n<2). As shown in ensure that there is no oxygen present. In predominant gas used to clean process Figure 2, these oxides look brown and are addition, it is vital to maintain sufficient chambers. It is broken down in the “sticky”. They can block pipelines, leading air flow velocity at all times to prevent the chamber, or “insitu,” to provide highly to unplanned system downtime, and can build-up of powder in the combustor or in reactive fluorine which reacts with also be unstable, posing a combustion any connecting pipelines. Such build-up contaminants to remove them from the hazard. can lead to unplanned maintenance and chamber. Consumption of the NF3 in Fully oxidized silane, on the other process downtime. In addition, the powder the cleaning process tends to vary but hand, as shown in Figure 3, is white, nonformed during the abatement process can in general it is typically 20%-40%. This sticky and chemically stable. pose a potential safety hazard to workers can escape with the means some of NF 3 The key to ensuring that an abatement if breathed in (resulting in health hazards waste product etched from the chamber. system produces fully oxidized, stable white such as silicosis or bronchitis). This waste gas must be abated. powder (shown in Figure 3), as opposed to the brown, sticky, unstable suboxides

14 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

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Title

Figure 4. H2 concentrations should be kept in the non-flammable zone until entering the combustor to prevent premature ignition.

Conclusion One of the advantages solar energy has in its competition with conventional energy sources, such as coal and gas, is the public’s perception of it as a clean energy source. At the same time, various greenhouse gases are used in the manufacture of solar cells and panels. If solar power generation is to retain its “clean” image it must ensure that these gases and their by-products are properly abated. While no single abatement system can address the requirements of every solar manufacturing application, choosing the optimal abatement solution for a particular process can minimize safety issues, prevent environmental accidents and even help reduce manufacturing costs. Abatement systems designed for solar manufacturing must be able to address key issues such as silane, hydrogen and powder management; managing the gases used to clean process chambers; waste water management; managing the formation of un-wanted byproducts; ensuring complete gas combustion; and abatement efficiency. In addition, in order for solar energy to achieve cost-per-watt parity with conventional energy sources, abatement systems must deliver a low cost of ownership, in terms of

efficiency, system up time, energy consumption and water usage. Finally, the abatement system supplier must have experience with local regulatory requirements to ensure compliance and avoid potentially costly penalties. Stewart Davidson is Product Manager of abatement systems for Edwards. He started in 2003 as Senior Development Engineer. Prior to that, Davidson worked for ASM International and Motorola. Davidson served in the British military for ten years, and is a graduate of the Royal Air Force Military College. He holds a B.A. degree in history from The Open University, UK, and his post-graduate studies were in marketing.

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 15

Performance chemicals 2Q’10 in cell manufacturing continues to set records

Jon Custer-Topai

2Q’10 continues to set records Economic uncertainty can’t slow the solar train Global status The global solar photovoltaic industry resumed expansionary growth in 3Q’09 based on a 3/12 rate of change after nine months of contraction and an additional growth digression that began in 2Q’08 (Chart 1). Surprisingly, the “great recession” actually benefitted the industry as world governments funded utility installations and research and development in efforts to stimulate the economy through job creation, infrastructure restoration and energy independence. The industry has clearly turned the corner with all categories in the solar photovoltaic food-chain (Chart 2) growing handsomely in 1Q’10 in comparison to 1Q’09 based on global composite financials for each sector of the industry converted to $US equivalent at a fluctuating exchange. Industrial production (Chart 3), a precursor to overall energy consumption, has grown in comparison to the previous year at this time with most growth in the ASEAN region. Europe and North America are

still struggling with high unemployment and financial uncertainties. World GDP (Chart 4) turned the corner in 4Q’09, but the economy has not completely gotten out of the woods. Additional stimulus packages may be in the works as leading indicators such as the world purchasing manager’s indices (Chart 5) point to a slowing economy. Stronger US$/weaker euro The strengthened U.S. dollar versus the Euro (Chart 6) and Taiwan NT (Chart 7) effected Q2 company earnings depending on the location of production and integration. The cost of purchasing panels manufactured in Taiwan for U.S. consumption is now 4.7% less expensive than 2009 based on currency exchange, whilst U.S. export Forex to euro-based countries increased 5.2% y/y. 2Q’10 earnings A monthly composition of Taiwan-based solar/PV manufacturers’ monthly earnings (Chart 8) demonstrates a steep trajectory

Global "Solar/Photovoltaic Foodchain" Growth 1Q'10 vs. 1Q'09

Total Industry based upon 42 Company broad sample 3/12 & 12/12 Rate of Change

2.5

Applied changed focus to crystalline silicon (Chart 9) Applied Materials reported 3Q’10 net income of $123 million on net sales of $2.52 billion. Energy and Environmental Solutions group net sales more than doubled from 2Q to $387 million led by record demand for crystalline silicon solar equipment. The company discontinued sales to new customers of its SunFab™ fully integrated lines for manufacturing thin film solar panels. Chairman and CEO Mike Splinter stated that “Applied had

20100603

Global Solar/Photovoltaic Growth

20100717

recovery of 50% growth in 2010 based on an aggregate of 17 manufacturers throughout the industry. Custer Consulting Group’s second quarter earnings composites are missing a few key players as I am writing this, but a snapshot of the sectors shows healthy orders contributing to record revenues with net incomes being affected from capacity expansions and the euro devaluation. Inventory looks controlled and bookings remain plentiful.

Total Industry

Rate of Growth (1.0=no growth) 12/12

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Series 3 2

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117 77

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36 7

Crystalline Semiconductor Processes 1

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Chart 1.

16 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Installations & End Applications

34 0

60 80 % Change

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Chart 2.

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2Q’10 continues to set records

strong results across our semiconductor, display and crystalline silicon solar businesses...during the quarter, we took actions that focus our Energy and Environmental Solutions segment on our most promising opportunities in solar and advanced energy, and strengthen our company’s financial outlook.” Day4 Energy transitioned to solution provider business model (Chart 10) Day4 Energy acquired PV manufacturing equipment maker, ACI-ecotec in April 2010. 2Q’10 revenues increased 685% y/y to $44.8 million while the net loss of $4.2 million was affected by one-time expenses for production capacity expansion, new product design and ACI acquisition and restructuring costs. In addition, euro/USD foreign exchange contributed approximately $2.0 million to cost of goods sold during the quarter. Day4 Energy president George Rubin commented, “We believe that, outside the foreign exchange dynam20100808

ics, the fundamentals of our business have improved during the quarter and the company is positioned to take advantage of its recent investments in new business segments, strengthened teams, improved products and encapsulation cost reductions going forward.”

for the quarter.” JA Solar raised 2010 shipment guidance from 1 GW to 1.35 GW! (Chart 12) JA Solar Q2 earnings increased a whopping 296% y/y to RMB 2.4 billion ($351.2 million based on RMB 6.7815 to $1.00 currency exchange). CEO Dr. Peng Fang stated “Based on strong customer orders and increasing visibility, we are raising our full year 2010 shipment guidance from 1GW to 1.35GW...Our first half 2010 shipment has surpassed our full year shipment in 2009, while our second quarter shipment has exceeded the full year shipment in 2008.”

Evergreen expanded manufacturing in China, Q2 net hurt by Euro devaluation (Chart 11) Evergreen revenue expanded 32% y/y to $84.5 million in 2Q. The net loss was $3.3 million, which included “$6.9 million of foreign exchange losses caused by the weakening Euro.” The Silicon-based String Ribbon® manufacturer continues to focus on expanding production capacity to 100 MW/yr. in its newly opened Wuhan, China, facility. Chairman, CEO and president Richard Feldt noted that “Demand for Evergreen’s panels continues to be robust into the third quarter...we are planning to produce about 45 megawatts

Industrial Production - World

SunPower focuses on cost-per-watt; hedges 2H’10 Euro risk (Chart 13) SunPower 2Q’10 earnings increased 28% y/y to $384 million with a net loss of $6 million. The company forecasts $1.36 efficiency-adjusted cost-per-watt by end of 2010 and $1.08 by end of 2011. CEO Tom

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World GDP Growth Quarter-to-Quarter

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Economist 8/2010

http://www.economist.com Output, prices and jobs

Chart 3. 20100803

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World Purchasing Managers' Indices

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Exchange Rate US$/euro

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1 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

CALENDAR YEAR

CALENDAR YEAR Source: Custer Consulting Group

Chart 5.

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http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/15

Chart 6.

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 17

2Q’10 continues to set records

Werner stated “We have accelerated our cost reduction plans for both panels and balance-of-system.” And regarding 2011 outlook, he noted, “...we have more than 100 MW of utility and power plants orders booked for next year with our 2011 firstquarter bookings at the best levels in two years.” Dennis Arriola, SunPower CFO, believes that the company has substantially mitigated 2H’10 net euro exposure risk ‘... as 93% of that exposure is hedged at a US dollar rate of 1.35 to one euro.” In addition, SunPower entered a 1.4 GW solar cell production JV with AU Optronics in Malaysia, which will begin in 4Q’10. Moving forward The industry appears to be partially immune to the global economy and actually benefitted from government stimulus for utility/power plant installations. Oil prices have remained steady around $75/ barrel (Chart 14) and inflation has been mostly controlled. Japan and China energy usage 20100801

Cells modules panels • Worldwide solar PV module market grew to 3.7GW ($7.1 bn) in 2Q’10 and is expected to reach 4.3GW in 3Q’10 and to decline by 10% q/q in 1Q’11.— IMS Research • China solar module makers lowered 3Q’10 quotes by 3-5% to about US$1.85-2/W. global module production grew from 30% of global total of MW-dc in 2007 to 40% in 2009.—GTM Research shipped 3,300 MW of solar panel capacity to the U.S. in 2009 for total sales of $6.6 billion.—Bloomberg • Taiwan solar cell manufacturing rose 95% to equivalent of $1.1 billion in 2Q’10, making it the third-largest solar cell manufacturing region in the world with more than 12% market share.— MIC

have recently risen as a result of increased industrial production and improved living standards. Europe continues to dominate installations (Chart 15) and low cost manufacturing regions (especially China and Taiwan) are gaining global market share. Component shortages and quality control continue to plague the industry. Price pressures are forcing many manufacturers to restructure product mix (example: Applied Materials) and many module manufacturers have increased contract manufacturing (Chart 16) with EMS and assembly service providers. At this point, the primary growth drivers are government stimulus, increased incentive programs and under-developed and developing countries. The $38 billion industry continues to grow despite economic uncertainties; it should be exciting to see what will happen when the global economy is healthy again!

20100815

Taiwan vs. U.S. Dollar

Taiwan Solar/Photovoltaic Panel Companies Composite of 17 Manufacturers

Exchange Rate NT$/US$

NT$ billions

2009/2008 Revenue Growth Up 4%

16 14

12 34

10 8

6 32

4.7% weaker NT$ vs US$ in 2009 vs 2008

30 1 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 99 00

CALENDAR YEAR

CALENDAR YEAR Big Sun Energy Technology, Daxon, DelSolar, e_TON Solar Tec, Eversol, Gintech, Green Energy Technology (GET), Ligitek, Motech, Neo Solar Power, Phoenixtec Power Co (PPC), Precision Silicon, Sino-American Silicon Products, Sonartech, Sysgration, Tyntek, Wafer Works

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/15

Chart 7. 20100818

13 57 91113 5 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 79111 35 7 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Chart 8. 20100816

Applied Materials

Day4 Energy Inc.

Revenue, Net Income & Inventory 3.0

Revenue, Net Income & Inventory

$ (billions) + 120%

2.5

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Canadian $ (Millions) + 682%

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1.6 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.1 2.1 1.8 2.0 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.5 1.8 2.3 2.5 2.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.1 -0.1-0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 -0.1 -0.1 -0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 -0.1 -0.3-0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 1.0 1.1 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6

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18 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

AMAT

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www.day4energy.com

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Chart 10.

www.globalsolartechnology.com

2Q’10 continues to set records

• U.S. PV module prices fell to $1.85$2.25 per watt from $3.50-$4.00 per watt in mid-2008, a drop of over 40%.—SEIA

• opened a $24 million solar module plant in Guelph, Ontario, and a sales office in Rome, Italy. • plans to begin production at new 200 MW solar module manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada, early 2011. Canasia Solar is building a 200 MW PV module manufacturing facility in London, Ontario, region. China Sunergy acquired CEEG (Shanghai) Solar Science & Technology and CEEG (Nan Jing) New Energy. CNPV Solar Power received 2-year/30 MW module supply contract from MPower. DUNMORE introduced FastCerT solar module qualification program. Eco Supplies acquired Gallivare PhotoVoltaic. EGing Photovoltaic Technology attained 100 MW module supply contract from Payom Solar. Evergreen Power and Asola jointly began building 30 MW solar module manufactur-

3Sun (Enel Green Power, Sharp and STMicroelectronics JV) is building a 480 MW photovoltaic panel factory in Catania, Italy. AU Optronics • plans to expand global solar module capacity to 900MWp by 2011. • terminated plans for 2GWp backcontact solar cell plant in Changhua, Taiwan, after Taiwan High Administrative Court ordered suspension of development works for Chihsing farmland base and Erlin base of Central Taiwan Science Park. BP Solar named Mike Petrucci CEO. Calisolar attained IEC 61730 and IEC 61215 certification from TÜV Rheinland for its solar modules. Canadian Solar 20100816

20100816

Evergreen Solar, Inc.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.

Revenue, Net Income & Inventory

$ Millions

100

ing plant in Ontario, Canada. Farglory Group and Aurora Telecom formed solar cell production JV with initial capacity of 240-300 MWp and plans for up to 1 GWp. Fidelis Energy received 93 MW PV solar module supply contract valued at $210 million from TinSol Energy. Gintech • Chunan, Taiwan solar cell plant to reach 225 MWp capacity in 2Q’11. • received NT$6.5 billion (US$202 million), 5-year syndicated loan from 11 Taiwan-based banks to expand production capacity by 2-2.2 GW over next three years. Heliatek began building facility in Dresden, Germany, to manufacture organic, oligomer-based solar cells. JA Solar • acquired Shanghai Jinglong Solar Technology. • entered 70 MW supply deal with SolarFabrik.

2500

+ 32%

RMB (Millions)

2000

1500

+ 296%

"Business momentum remains strong, and we continue to see very strong orders from existing and new customers, with customers' requirements exceeding our productive capacity." 8/10/10

1000

-50

"Together with our improved financial position, the replication of our world class manufacturing performance in the newly opened Wuhan facility will be essential to supporting the further expansion we have outlined for our operations in China in the year ahead." 8/2/10

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Chart 13.

www.globalsolartechnology.com

SPWRA

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/OILPRICE.txt

Chart 14.

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 19

2Q’10 continues to set records

• received two-year solar module supply agreement with MEMC Electronic Materials. • signed three-year supply agreement for silicon nanoparticle ink with Innovalight for joint development of highly efficient solar cells. JinkoSolar obtained 24 MW solar module supply contract from Enfinity. KYOCERA began full-scale production at its new multicrystalline solar cell manufacturing facility in Yasu City, Japan. LDK Solar • received 50 MW module supply contract for 2H’10 from Enel S.p.A. • sold 13 MW of solar modules to ABB SpA. Mage Solar established Italian subsidiary MAGE SOLAR S.r.l. Neo Solar Power • issued 70 million new shares to finance purchase of additional production equipment. • received NT$5 billion (US$157.36 million) syndicated loan for construction of new Tainan Science Park plant that will increase annual solar cell capacity from 800 MW to 1.2 GW by 2011. Panasonic acquired subsidiaries Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works for up to $9.4 billion in cash. Q-Cells supplied 24,000 c-Si modules in panels for HEP Kapital’s 5.3 MW brownfield (Spremberg, Germany) installation. QuantaSol named Ivor Thomas , CFO, Gianluca Bacchin, VP of engineering and Tom Tibbits, director of product marketing. Samsung Electronics to expand 30 MW pilot solar-cell production line to 130 MW by 1H’11. Sanyo Electric plans to spend 170 billion yen ($1.8 billion) on its rechargeable bat20100817

tery and solar cell operations over next three years. SANYO introduced HIT Power 220A photovoltaic module with certified cell efficiency of 19.8%. Sharp will add four additional solar cell module production lines to expand capacity to 500 MW in Wrexham, Wales, by Feb. 2011. Silicon Energy MN began building 25,000sq.ft. solar panel manufacturing plant in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. Skyline Solar named Thomas Rohrs CEO. Solarfun • will expand cell capacity by 50 MW to total of 550 MW by 1Q’11. • is adding manufacturing complexes which are expected to add an additional 500 MW of cell capacity and 1.2 GW of module capacity. • plans to ship 30-50 MW to U.S. in 2H’10 and 100-150 MW in 2011. • appointed Matt Miller regional manager for southwestern U.S. and Graham Landry regional manager, western U.S. • received 6 MW PV module supply contract from GranSolarGhella and 6 MW PV module supply contract from T.R.Z. Tozzi Renewable Energy. • sold 49.99% stake for US$370 million (36,455,089 ordinary shares at RMB14.51 (US$2.144) per ordinary share) to Hanwha Chemical. Suniva • named Gregory Mihalik VP of module operations. • expanded manufacturing capacity to 170 MW with addition of third cell line in Atlanta, Georgia. SunSil plans to start initial production at its first fully automated module plant in 4Q’10 with volume production expected in 1Q’11.

Global Solar PV Installations 2009 (MW installed)

Suntech Power Holdings • amended polysilicon supply contract with Hoku Materials to one year. • appointed Amy Yi Zhang as VP strategic project finance initiatives. • received 2 MW PV module supply contract from Azure Power. • provided 34.5 MW of solar panels for first phase of 44MW solar farm in Bangkok, Thailand. Tata BP Solar plans to increase PV cell manufacturing capacity from 84 MW to 180 MW in fiscal 2010. Tenesol increased solar module guarantees to 10 years. Trina Solar • named Sean Tzou its chief strategy officer and Gary Yu, Sr. VP, operations. • became a member of MIT’s industrial liaison program. Unitech Solar will increase annual solar cell capacity from 30 MWp to 90 MWp by year-end 2010. Westinghouse Solar appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to board of advisors. Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing USA opened 129,000 sq.ft. solar PV module production facility and R&D center in Nantong, China. Würth Solar acquired SolarMarkt, its subsidiary, Creotecc, and all foreign subsidiaries and project companies. Yingli Green Energy • completed 300 MW PANDA monocrystalline silicon based production capacity expansion at its Baoding headquarters and added 100 MW multicrystalline silicon production capacity in Haikou, Hainan Province. • and Innovalight formed a multicrystalline cell research and production collaboration. • Italia received 16-26 MW PV mod

20100513

Subcontracting in Solar Manufacturing Industry Solar Module EMS Production Forecast

Germany

5.0

GW of Solar Panels

3800

4.1

4.0

730 484

475

411

292

129 30 180 74 185 6 228 276

ROW India Spain Australia France UK China

Italy

August 2010

2.2

Belgium U.S.

Czech Rep

Data Sources: EPIA - Germany, Italy, Japan, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Spain, India, ROW SEIA: USA; SolarBuzz: S. Korea, China, Australia; iSuppli: UK

Chart 15.

20 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

1.8

2.0

1.1

1.0

0.4

S Korea Japan

3.0

0.0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

iSuppli 4/10

Chart 16.

www.globalsolartechnology.com

Interview

J-BOX BONDING

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 21

2Q’10 continues to set records

• ule/2 yr supply contract from Tecno Spot. • plans to triple solar panel production capacity in the next three years to 3 GW. • received 36 billion yuan ($5.3 billion) loan from China Development Bank to expand solar panel production to 1GW by 3Q’10. • received 15 MW solar module sales contract from Recurrent Energy Solar for Kaiser Permanente installations in California. FIT & policy Feed-in tariffs are responsible for 75% of global solar deployment.—NREL World governments provided approximately $43-46bn in FiTs, renewable energy credits or RECs, tax credits, cash grants, and other direct subsidies to renewable energy and biofuels technologies, projects, and companies in 2009.—BNEF Materials & components • PV materials are expected to surpass $6B within four years, even as costs of polysilicon continue to drop.—Techcet Group • U.S. enacted ‘Conflict Metal’ law to prevent trade from Democratic Republic of the Congo. Alanod-Solar introduced MIRO-Fin solar thermal absorbers for North American flat plate collectors. Bentek solar surpassed 100 MW milestone in solar combiner sales. Bridgestone is investing about 8.2 billion yen to increase solar panel adhesive film capacity by 60% in 1H’12. Bud Industries introduced electronics enclosures solutions for solar energy applications. Christopher Associates • introduced photovoltaic bus bar sealant from Tonsan. • sold Japan Unix ‘Unisonik’ soldering system to Bay Area thin film photovoltaic manufacturing company. Corning is spending $180 million to expand Gorilla glass capacity (for thin-film photovoltaics) at its Harrodsburg, Kentucky, facility. Dai Nippon Printing developed polyolefin encapsulants for crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells. DuPont expects to grow photovoltaic sales more than 50% in 2010 and exceed $1 billion in 2011. eIQ Energy began offering custom preinstalled wiring harnesses with its vComm communications module and vBoost DCto-DC converter through partnership with

Shoals Technologies Group. Ferro • named Thomas Miklich VP and CFO. • Electronic Materials developed new metallization paste, Metal Wrap Through. Gujarat Borosil began producing low iron pattern glass for solar photovoltaics and solar thermal. Illuminex received $500K financing round from undisclosed investors to accelerate development and commercialization of lithium-ion batteries, heat pipes for thermal management and photovoltaics. Innovalight created “solar ink” which can increases solar cell efficiency by 1%. pv recycling llc and ENCROS formed pv recycling collaboration for North America and Europe. SAFC Hitech created key material programs for thin-film (CdTe and CIGS), CPV and c-Si solar cells. SolOptics formed lens design that improves solar panel efficiency up to 12.5%. Solutia • introduced advanced encapsulant designed to prevent corrosion in solar cells. • optimized and expanded its Saflex® polyvinyl butyral interlayer manufacturing capacity in South America. STR Holdings completed 1.0 GW expansion of its Malaysia plant for encapsulant materials. SunLink acquired Blue Oak PV Products. SunSi appointed Zhang Fahe director of technology. Taiwan Glass budgeted NT$5 B. to set up solar-energy advanced glass production lines for China and Taiwan. TechPrecision appointed James Molinaro CEO. Teijin acquired NanoGram, plans to start full-on production silicon ink for solar cell transistors around 2015. Wacker Chemie acquired silicon-metal production site in Norway from from FESIL Group. Xinyi Glass plans to expand PV module glass manufacturing capacity from 2 GW to over 4.5 GW by end of 2010. Process equipment Applied Materials restructured energy and environmental solutions unit to focus on crystalline silicon solar and advanced energy. Baumann extended range of its automation systems for crystalline solar cell manufacturing to 4,000 wafers/hour. BTU International received $16 million order for in-line diffusion equipment. DEK Solar named Steve Fuszard, produc-

22 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

tion team leader. Despatch Industries sold 7 GW of nameplate metallization firing production capacity in 1H’10. Dresser introduced Texsteam® HiCIPT solar powered chemical injection pump which delivers 44% more volume per head. FlexLink acquired Schüco Group’s Automation division. Gallant Precision Machining secured NT$3 billion (US$93 million) worth of orders for equipment used to produce CIGS thin-film solar cells from TSMC. GP Solar • received order for 82 optical measuring systems for process and quality control from an undisclosed Taiwanese customer. • acquired Crystal Systems. • installed DSS450HP crystalline growth systems at GCL’s new wafer manufacturing facility. • received $23.4 million follow-on order from OCI Company for SDR™ 400 CVD reactors and polysilicon manufacturing equipment. • shipped 1,000th DSS450 crystalline ingot growth furnace to Yingli Green Energy Holding’s new Hainan 100 MW manufacturing facility. Heliatek and FHR Anlagenbau cooperated on construction of vacuum coating plant for organic photovoltaic units in Dresden, Germany. Hitachi Cable began full scale operation of production equipment for NoWarp photovoltaic wire (solder-plated rectangular wire) used in solar cell module conductors in Malaysia. ib Vogt to design, plan and construct first PV factory in Southern India, Indian multinational company. Indium introduced newly designed tabbing and bus ribbon kits. Intevac received order for LEAN SOLAR™ deposition system scheduled for shipment in 1Q’11. ISRA Vision acquired Graphikon, Gesellschaft für Bildverarbeitung und Computergraphik mbH (Berlin, Germany). KLA-Tencor shipped 1000th automated in-line inspection products for solar wafers and cells. Lotus Systems received Euro 8 MM+ order for fully automated wet chemical process lines for cell production. Meyer Burger received over CHF 60 million contract for wire saws, ID-saws and wafer inspection systems with Nexolon in Korea. Oerlikon obtained solar equipment orders from Baoding Tianwei Solar Films. Reis Robotics introduced electrolumi

www.globalsolartechnology.com

2Q’10 continues to set records

nescence-based system that will recognize faulty cells automatically, before they are laminated, and a fully automatic directassembly system for the junction box at the PV module after lamination. SGS Solar Testhouse opened new SGS photovoltaic laboratory in Hartha, Germany. Spire received grant to develop solar cell and wafer microcrack detection system for Department of Energy. TUV Rheinland opened seventh laboratory worldwide in Electronics City in Bangalore for testing solar modules and systems. VDE Institute and Fraunhofer collaborated on new international test laboratory for photovoltaic modules in New Mexico. WestPak Laboratories • and ESPEC developed solar simulator chamber for independent testing laboratory in San Jose, Ca. • purchased Atonometrics UV exposure system for testing and certifying PV modules. Silicon ingot wafer Polysilicon, which is 60% of direct material costs for single-crystal and polycrystalline silicon solar cells, is expected to fall to 50% of costs within next five years, as prices decline by half from 2008 through 2013.— Techcet Group 1366 Technologies created silicon wafers directly from molten silicon. Adema received mono-Si ingot contract for 1.89 MWp system in Springerville, Arizona. Basler sold its solar wafer inspection business to Semilab. Danen is expanding solar-grade wafer capacity to 210 MWp by end of 2010. GCL-Poly invested US$300 million to increase wafer production by another 1 GW by end of 2010. Genmark Automation added SortMax300 HTT to its wafer-sorter product line. GET issued 60 million new shares through a private placement. Hoku entered $28.3 million credit agreement with New York branch of China Construction Bank for development and construction of polysilicon production plant in Pocatello, Idaho. Leshan Ledian Tianwei Silicon-Tech installed a PPP advanced CVD silicon deposition reactor at its polysilicon product plant in Leshan, China. MBM Solar Holding to build 2500MT/a solar-grade polysilicon plant in the UAE. MEMC • acquired Solaicx. • Kuching to open 600 MW solar wafer

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plant in Samajaya by end of 2010. OCI received $124m poly crystalline silicon supply contract from Comtec Solar. REC Silicon power outage in Moses Lake that significantly cut polysilicon production. Solargiga acquired 51% interest in Qinghai Chenguang. Taiwan Polysilicon began producing polySi in volume with initial annual capacity of 8,000MT and target of 28,000MT. Tokyo Rope Mfg moved production of wire saws and cutting machines from Japan to Malaysia and China. Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates launched Varian Solion™ solar cell implant tool. Yingli Green Energy started commercial operation of 3,000 MT/yr. in-house (“Fine Silicon”) polysilicon plant. Thin film Thin film production market share in global solar PV market grew from 2.8% in 2001 to 25% in 2009; module production is projected to grow 24% from 2009 to 22,214 MW by 2020.—GBI Research Abound received $400 million loan from U.S. Government to increase capacity of its existing Longmont facility to 200 M/yr. by end of 2011. Abound Solar moved to 800,000 sq.ft. facility in Tipton, Indiana; plans to add up to 850 workers by 2013. AQT Solar opened 20,000-sq.ft./15 Mw/ yr CIGS solar cell Sunnyvale. California, manufacturing facility. Ascent Solar received IEC 61646 certification for its module encapsulation material designed for flexible PV laminates. Astronergy plans to increase module production capacity from 30 MW to 75 MW by end of 2010 or early 2011 with purchase of new Oerlikon thin-film silicon equipment. DayStar plans to offshore CIGS solar module manufacturing. First Solar • acquired NextLight Renewable Power. • appointed William Post to board of directors. • cut 2Q module manufacturing costs to 76 cents a watt, down 5 cents from 1Q’10. • named Jens Meyerhoff president of newly formed Utility Systems Business Group. Honda Soltec released CIGS PV cell module with 11.6% efficiency. Magnolia Solar received contract to develop ultra high efficiency quantum dot solar cells for U.S. Air Force. Sichuan Hanergy is building 1GW/yr

silicon-base thin-film solar cell manufacturing facility. Solar Frontier Americas named Gregory Ashley VP and COO. Solarmer Energy expanded OPV efficiency to 8.13%. Solasta terminated operations. Solexant is building 100 MW thin film solar cell manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon, suburb. SoloPower • and eIQ Energy collaborated on parallel solar array wiring and CIGS photovoltaic module package. • is adding 75MW of CIGS cell and module production capacity in San Jose, California. • Solyndra • appointed Brian Harrison president and CEO. • named Corby Whitaker VP of North America sales. Suntech stopped producing amorphous silicon thin-film solar modules. Trony Solar Holdings withdrew planned IPO. TSMC acquired 21% stake in Stion for US$50 million. Yohkon Energia received TUV NORD certification for its CIGS photovoltaic module YEC200. Thin film process equipment & materials Bloo Solar selected CVD Equipment to design and manufacture equipment for transparent conductive oxide coatings. BudaSolar Technologies signed $30,000,000 US contract with Misto Services to provide 18 MW/year tandem thin layer silicon solar module process line in the Ukraine. Manz Automation entered CIGS licensing and strategic alliance agreement with Würth Solar, ordered nine backend lines; equipment backlog passed €100 million in July. Solar Metrology introduced model SMXILH thin film composition and thickness measurement tool. Solar Thin Films entered sales agreement for 80 MW of assembled solar panels from Solterra Fotovoltaico.

Jon Custer-Topai is vice president of Custer Consulting Group and responsible for the corporation’s market research and news analysis activities. Jon is a member of the IPC and active in the Technology Marketing Research Council. jon@custerconsulting.com

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 23

Technological developments

Technological developments Solarmer breaks psychological barrier with 8.13% OPV efficiency Solarmer Energy, Inc., recently achieved a new world record of 8.13% for their organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell efficiency, certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This marks Solarmer’s fourth consecutive time breaking the efficiency record, all in last two years. This new world record is made possible through the efforts of the R&D team, led by Dr. Jianhui Hou, director of research, who developed new polymers for higher efficiency. OPV panels are flexible and lightweight and are able to generate low

cost clean energy from the sun. Attractive and colorful, customizable shapes and sizes and better low light performance are just a few in a long list of unique characteristics of OPV panels. This cutting-edge technology has the potential to drive energy production cost down to 12-15 cents/kWh and much less than $1/W. “Going beyond 8%—a psychological barrier for the OPV industry, is an important step forward for both Solarmer and the solar energy industry,” said Woolas Hsieh, president of the company. “This confirms OPV technology is on the right

course to become a cost effective and competitive technology. We are very proud to be the first company to surpass this 8% barrier. We would like to expand our partnership with other companies, who have expertise in production technology, packaging, and other areas, to bring OPVs to the market. Our next target is to reach 10% efficiency by the end of 2011.”

New Energy to unveil first-of-itskind See-Thru glass SolarWindow Researchers developing New Energy Technologies’ proprietary SolarWindow™ technology recently achieved scientific and technical breakthroughs, allowing the company to unveil a working prototype of the world’s first-ever glass window capable of generating electricity in the upcoming weeks. Until now, solar panels have remained opaque, with the prospect of creating a see-thru glass window capable of generating electricity limited by the use of metals and various expensive processes which block visibility and prevent light from passing through glass surfaces. New Energy’s ability to generate electricity on see-thru glass is made possible by making use of the world’s smallest working organic solar cells, developed by Dr. Xiaomei Jiang at the University of South Florida. Unlike conventional solar systems, New Energy’s solar cells generate electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today’s commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold. New Energy’s SolarWindow™ technology is under development for potential application in the estimated 5 million commercial buildings in America (Energy Information Administration) and

more than 80 million single detached homes. “We’re always keen to see innovations in our laboratories turn into meaningful commercial products,” said Valerie McDevitt, Assistant vice president for research, division of patents and licensing, University of South Florida. “We very much look forward to the commercial development of New Energy’s SolarWindow™ technology, which, if successful, could literally transform the way in which we view the use of solar energy for our homes, offices, and commercial buildings.” The University of South Florida Research Foundation has licensed Dr. Xiaomei Jiang’s groundbreaking discovery and important commercial processes and applications to New Energy Solar Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “It’s very exciting to see that our ongoing research has led to several significant breakthroughs with transparency and the production of electricity on see-thru glass,” explained Mr. Meetesh V. Patel, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “For the first time ever, these advances have allowed us to develop an early-scale working prototype of the technology, which I very much look forward to unveiling in the

upcoming weeks.” In recent months, numerous technical milestones have been surpassed by researchers developing New Energy’s seethru SolarWindow™ coatings, including: 1. The use of the world’s smallest functional solar cells, measuring less than ¼ the size of a grain of rice, and shown to successfully produce electricity in a published peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy of the American Institute of Physics. Importantly, these cells generate electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today’s commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold; 2. Development of a novel, patentpending process to spray SolarWindow™ coatings onto see-thru glass using commercially available technologies (presented in AZoNano’s Journal of Nanotechnology Online; Dec. 20, 2009, “Nanotechnology Thought Leaders” series); and 3. The ability to spray SolarWindow™ coatings onto glass at room temperature, eliminating expensive high-temperature or high-vacuum production methods commonly used by current solar manufacturers.

24 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

www.globalsolartechnology.com

Analyst buzz

Will your module last? Put it to the test. Your company may be a market leader, but are your products ready for the long haul? One sure way to know is to employ Atlas testing products and services designed specifically for the solar energy market. With our proprietary Atlas 25PLUS Comprehensive Test Program, we can determine how PV modules will stand up to UV, salt spray corrosion, moisture, heat, freezing temperatures and extreme outdoor conditions. Put the elements to work for you and gain a reputation for reliability and durability. Visit www.solardurability.com today to request a free white paper on the Atlas 25PLUS program.

Introducing the new Atlas XR360 PV Module Weather Durability Testing System Combining the advancements in environmental chamber and xenon solar simulation technology, the XR360 comes in three models with capacity to test more than 90% of current PV modules. • Chamber is equipped with four high performance water-cooled xenon arc lamps • Full climatic functionality • Expanded capability to run IEC environmental tests

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Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 25

Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy

Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy Jim McElroy and Robert Pfahl, iNEMI, Herndon, Virginia

There is growing consensus worldwide that alternative energy sources must be developed and deployed. This belief is driven by two factors: • Existing energy sources eventually will be depleted • Renewable energy sources create less impact on the environment Where are we today and what are the projections for this transition to renewable energy for our planet? The U.S. Information Administration, under the Department of Energy, develops reports on energy consumption and energy sources for the globe. Global energy usage includes that used by industry (50%), transportation (30%) and buildings (20%). According to the May 2010 summary report, usage is projected to grow from 495 to 739 quadrillion BTUs in the period from 2007 to 2035—an average annual increase of 1.4%. During that same period, renewable sources are projected to grow from 48.8 to 99.8 quadrillion BTUs—an average annual increase of 2.6% (almost double the rate of the total usage increase). Even with this growth, however, renewable sources are expected to represent only 10% of total energy consumption by 2035. It is interesting to note the difference in growth rates between emerging and developed nations (both of total usage and renewables). Developed world usage grows at an average annual rate of 0.5% while emerging countries are projected to grow usage at an average of 1.4% per year over the same time span. (All of these projections are based on the assumption that existing policies and laws will remain in effect.) There are a number of renewable energy sources being developed and deployed. Some are well established, such as hydroelectric (out of favor in some countries due to the environmental impact of dams) and biomass (renewable but certainly not carbon neutral). Then there are the growing number of solar and wind power options. For more specialized applications we can consider fuel cells,

Energy OEMs Primary Technology for Alterna@ve Energy Conversion

Develop systems that convert energy from renewable sources Key players: AEE Solar, Ampair, Bergey Wind Power, First Solar, Siemens, SunStar Technology/supply chain issues: materials availability/performance, conversion eﬃciency, cost/waA

System Manufacturing Provide systems integra@on/manufacture for OEMs Key players: CelesCca, Flextronics, Foxconn, Plexus, Sanmina-‐SCI Technology/supply chain issues: supply chain maturity, assembly/ reliability standards

Electronics Subsystems Design and manufacture electronics subsystems “Balance of Plant” (proposed iNEMI focus)

Key players: GE, Fronius, MasterVolt, Sensus, SMA Includes: Inverters, energy storage, control (e.g. wind turbine blades) Technology/supply chain issues: reliability of subsystems (e.g. inverters) not up to uClity standards, communicaCon standards (e.g. Smart Grid), cost/complexity of balance of plant

Components Design and manufacture components used in systems/subsystems Key players: Fairchild Semiconductor, TI, Intel Includes: digital ICs, power ICs, connectors, PWBs, enclosures, cables Technology/supply chain issues: performance of power ICs, capacitor reliability, enclosure standards

rechargeable battery systems, etc. Will one of these technologies dominate, or will several co-exist, depending on the application and local geographical preferences? Given how early we are in the renewable energy journey, it is entirely prudent to be developing a number of technologies in parallel; however, the myriad technology choices means there is investment risk. Inevitably, some alternatives will fall by the wayside as we learn more, increase performance and reduce lifecycle costs. Many of these alternatives also require support technologies to create an energy system. We refer to this as “balance of plant” technologies, which include items such as power inverters, control electronics, power factor correction circuits, safety circuits and communications systems (e.g., smart grid). Balance of plant can be very important as it can represent a significant percentage of the system cost and reliability

26 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

budgets. Government incentives have been created to accelerate development and deployment of renewable energy technologies. These incentives allow for deployment of renewable energy solutions that may not be competitive from either a cost or performance perspective. The belief is that these incentives will accelerate both the development of promising new technologies as well as help drive cost down as volume learning curves are exploited. These incentives, however, are not without their challenges as cash-strapped governments start and stop programs and introduce other changes that may cause both investment and adoption disruptions not normally experienced in a marketdriven scenario. Technology challenges So what are the technology challenges that face the developers of renewable energy

www.globalsolartechnology.com

Henkel – Materials Partner of Choice for the Electronics Industry No matter where you are or what your process requires, you can count on Henkel’s expertise. Our unmatched portfolio of advanced materials for the semiconductor and assembly markets, all backed by the innovation, knowledge and support of Henkel’s world-class global team, ensures your success and guarantees a low-risk partnership proposition. www.globalsolartechnology.com

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 27

Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy

sources? Within these diverse approaches, are there common issues that could be addressed for the benefit of all? The 2009 iNEMI Photovoltaics Roadmap identified a number of gaps that must be addressed to accelerate the deployment of PV systems. Some of these issues are also considerations for other renewable energy sources. • Cost/availability of crystalline silicon • Efficiency of PV cells to transform light to electricity • Manufacturing cost of PV cells • Environmental concerns of some materials used in PV • Development and acceptance of global standards to facilitate cost and performance of solutions In the end, of course, the real driver is cost per watt of electricity generated (on a lifecycle basis). The PV Roadmap argues that this will be the driving force that determines which alternatives survive and what pace of conversion to renewable sources is achieved. Of course, the roadmap also points out that government incentives can help to drive demand for alternative energy solutions and, therefore, help to kick-start the process. In the end, however,

competitive forces will be a significant factor in the equation. Several sources have discussed the reliability challenges associated with balance-of-plant electronics. For example, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) sponsored a report on PV inverters and the associated reliability and cost challenges. The report stated that current inverter technology provides reliability of between 5-10 years while utility grade solutions would require something on the order of 20-25 years. Breakthroughs may be needed in materials, components (e.g., switching power devices) and design (e.g., exploring alternative design topologies for inverters). Developing robust supply chains Alternative energy systems rely on many industry segments to create the end product and services. For example, think of the large mechanical structures required to build wind turbines or ocean wave generators. Then there is the specialized field of blade design—presumably adopted from aircraft propellers (although the low speeds may present very different design parameters). Semiconductor technology is being

adopted to manufacture photovoltaic cells. Inverters contain power components such as capacitors and transformers. Smart grid solutions include printed circuit boards, radio transmitters, sensors and software. Energy storage systems rely on unique chemistries/materials for their electrical storage properties. Contrast this with companies that have traditionally built power plants (boilers, large turbines, etc.). While it is not unique to bring together different industry segments to develop and deploy new technologies, the diversity of skill and knowledge required for some of the renewable energy solutions is significant and, in fact, can present its own set of challenges in terms of cultures, standards, terminologies, etc. There are a number of other challenges that need to be addressed from a supply chain perspective. We all understand that competition can drive innovation and the related improvements in cost and performance. What is often underestimated, however, is that legacy technologies will continue to innovate and will “raise the bar” for new technologies. The net effect can be to delay the technology transition as legacy technologies improve their costperformance and their environmental footprint. This delay can slow manufacturing capacity deployment within the alternative technology supply chains since demand for the renewable approaches is muted (i.e., they are less competitive in a relative sense). Technology uncertainty can take many forms. Will emerging technologies such as photovoltaics or wind turbines meet their reliability and lifecycle cost targets? Which technology alternatives will dominate the marketplace and, therefore, achieve the best volume learning curves? What other factors will influence the deployment decisions (e.g., local ordinances, distribution costs, etc.)? While this uncertainly will be with us for some time, the near-term impact can be a reluctance to invest due to perceived risk level of technology choices/obsolescence. Strategies to reduce risk and accelerate deployment In today’s distributed supply network, cooperation among trading partners is often limited to commercial interaction. Groups such as iNEMI, on the other hand, focus on closing gaps that can delay the deployment of promising new technologies. As mentioned earlier in this article, renewable energy solutions leverage many different industry segments and will need to address a significant number of technology and infrastructure issues. iNEMI intends to focus on those areas that can best be

28 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

www.globalsolartechnology.com

Developing robust supply chains for alternative energy

solved by the electronics industry (i.e., in the balance of plant areas), working in cooperation with the alternative energy sector. Through our past experiences, we have found that an efficient approach to launch such undertakings is to hold a workshop that will bring together a number of industry leaders to jointly discuss the challenges, prioritize the possible collaborative efforts, and begin the initial planning for industry-led initiatives to help close the identified gaps. Toward this end, iNEMI will hold a two-day workshop, hosted by Cisco at their San Jose campus, October 20-21. This workshop will: • Feature leaders from a number of green energy technology areas including wind, solar (PV, CPV, CSP, etc.), smart grid, energy storage (batteries, fuel cells, etc.), and power conditioning or power management (inverters, combiners, etc.). • Identify technology gaps – primarily in the “balance of plant” area, where we believe an integrated collaborative electronics industry adds the most value. • Examine opportunities for standardization in assembly, testing, reliability evaluation and similar areas of commonality. • Brainstorm technology gaps, options and priorities. • Establish action groups to address specific issues, based on outcomes of meeting. We are confident that this undertaking will lead to significant advances in the deployment of renewable energy solutions. We invite electronics manufacturing companies as well as alternative energy companies to participate in this workshop to help set the agenda for this important work. For details on the event and registration information go to: http://www. inemi.org/cms/calendar/Energy_WS_ Oct2010.html Jim McElroy (jmcelroy@inemi.org) was formerly CEO of iNEMI and currently works with the consortium as a consultant. Contact him for additional information about the upcoming workshop. Robert (Bob) Pfahl (bob.pfahl@inemi.org) is vice president of global operations for iNEMI.

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joint World Conference of:

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 29

New CEO Products Interview

CEO Interview

Rick Weiler, Atlas Material Testing Technology What are the origins of Atlas Material Testing Technology? Our origins trace back to 1918 and the film industry. We developed the world’s first Fade-Ometer® to test the damage to textiles from the hot lighting used on film sets. From that small beginning, we have become the world leader in specialized testing instruments for weather resistance. We also provide consultancy and testing for indoor and outdoor accelerated lifecycle testing. Specifically, what does Atlas Material Testing Technology offer the PV industry?

Atlas Material Testing Technology is one of the oldest established testing instrument manufacturer and testing services provider in the world, with a truly international footprint of laboratories and testing centers. Trevor Galbraith spoke to CEO Rick Weiler about the range of services Atlas offers the PV industry.

Our services are primarily focused on sunlight, temperature, moisture and corrosion, both in accelerated and natural outdoors environments. We test a range of chemicals, plastics, coating and building materials, many of which you will find within solar modules. It is critical that this technology, PV, works for our generation and future generations, and the net energy is viable in terms of efficiency, reliability and durability. We therefore asked ourselves how best we can help this industry set up test protocols that accelerate the types of natural sun, temperature, moisture and corrosive combination of stresses that a module has to endure in all kinds of harsh environments for 10, 15, 20, 25+ years. We call this test protocol “Atlas25plus”. Module suppliers are offering warranties of up to 25 years. Is this a realistic figure, and what lifecycle data do you have to support it? The truth is nobody really knows

30 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

the answer about life expectancy because you have a wide array of different materials that expand, contract and absorb at different rates. When you combine all of these materials into one system, what happens? Things crack, delaminate, corrode—all kinds of failure modes. This is why we set out to create the test protocols we did, because the current industry standard, IEC 61215, is really designed to address infant mortality (the first year of a product’s life). Typically a new product will fail more often at the beginning of its life and become increasingly reliable as it ages to a point but then begins to wear-out with time and use, as illustrated in the attached bathtub curve diagram. How do you participate in technical standards? Standards take time to develop, and we are working alongside many of the best engineers and experts in the industry to develop these as quickly as possible. The European Photovoltaic Industry Association notes that the rate of growth from a little over 7 GW in 2009 could expand to 30 GW by 2014, and this rapid growth is coming from companies offering up to 25-year warranties on their panels. Just because the company says they will last does not mean they will. There is a desperate need to get standards in place to improve the veracity of these warranties. Typically standards work by bringing in a range of outside experts and stakeholders from industry, academia and government agencies to assist in creating the standard. We work with IEC, ISO,

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CEO Interview

“Typically a new product will fail more often at the beginning of its life and become increasingly reliable as it ages to a point but then begins to wear-out with time and use.”

ASTM, UL, TUV-Reinland and IPC, among others. Do testing facilities need to be close to the end customers? It’s important that we have test sites close to the harsh environments. For example, we have an outdoor test site in Miami, which has a high degree of humidity. We have a site in Arizona. Phoenix has more days of sunlight than anywhere else in the world. We are in Sanary, France, because we need to be close to our European clients. We also have a site in Chennai to service our Indian customers. Interestingly, the weather conditions in Chennai correlate closely with Miami. Directly we have those outdoor sites; we are also part of a larger consortium of over 25 sites around the world. With the high volume of c-Si manufacturing in China, do you have plans to expand your Asian footprint? We have strong partners in China. We work with some of the largest government institutions. They are buying instruments, racks and systems like our Atlas 25+ to assist with their test strategies and protocols. More recently they have been turning their attention to the high level of pollution emanating from Chinese factories. Modules should be designed to be reliable and durable in these harsher conditions. We are modifying our Atlas 25+ to meet their needs. How much efficiency degradation can a module experience as a result of exposure to weather in different climates? There is really no limit since degradation caused by weather—that is, moisture, sun, wind and (extreme) temperature cycling— can lead to outright failures. A gradual decline is more typical and industry calls

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for less than 0.5% loss in performance per year over twenty years. Inferior modules will not perform up to those levels. Do you use different daylight simulation testers to test different types of solar cells (c-Si, α-Si, CIGS, CdTe etc.)? While it is true that different technologies and materials react differently to different wavelengths within the solar spectrum, in general our philosophy is to duplicate sunlight as closely as possible, as that is what a solar device will “see” regardless of its technology. Having said that, depending on where a material is to be used, it may need to be tested differently. Front glass or an anti-reflective coating would be subjected to a great deal more direct solar radiation than would a backsheet or encapsulate material, for example. Material specific applications are factors that must be considered when designing the appropriate test, which is why we offer a range of instruments that incorporate a light source and various light- filter technologies. The Atlas 25+ uses both metal halide for some applications and xenon for others. Xenon most closely replicates sunlight across the full spectrum, especially using our Right Light ™ filter. Metal Halide is better suited for solar simulation performance testing. We also offer different size instruments to accommodate half-size mock modules, full size modules, or a system with a walk-in simulation room.

are looking at other issues such as long term adhesion, moisture ingress, material to material interaction and mismatch in thermal expansion, to name a few. What areas of modules are typically prone to corrosion and what do you look for? Depending on the configuration, corrosion tends to be more around the backsheet and edges of the module. But a bigger part is the electrical system. We test the electrical signal integrity and interconnection reliability. There was a paper presented in Hamburg about reports of roof fires in Germany. Some say it was caused by the solder on the back of the panels oxidizing. Do you have any data or information on this phenomenon? Yes, there have been a modest number of reports of fires that were related to PV module failures of various types. The groups undertaking the writing of standards for the PV industry are keenly aware of this public safety issue and appear committed to develop and continuously improve standards that mitigate these kinds of risks. Rick, many thanks for spending time with us today. Trevor Galbraith

Do you undertake materials testing of solders, adhesives and encapsulants? Yes, we will test the durability of materials used in the process. These materials are screened individually to determine if they meet the requirements to be incorporated into a cell or module. Then they are tested again in situ when the entire cell or module is tested. In the latter case you

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 31

Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC New Products

Show preview:

25th EU PVSEC European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference & Exhibition EU PVSEC returns to Valencia, Spain, this year with the world’s largest specialist PV solar conference and exhibition. The five-day conference program, with plenary lectures and oral and poster presentations, is further enhanced by forums, workshops and technical tours on current PV issues and trends and complimented by a four-day trade show expected to attract 40,000 visitors from around the globe.

Conference: 6-10 September / Exhibition: 6-9 September Image courtesy WIP Renewable Energies

Arnold Gruppe— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand A40

(WCPEC-5) which will be held concurrent with the trade show (session reference: 4AV.3.1). www.solardurability.com baumann photovoltaic division— Level 2, Hall 4, Stand D33

The Arnold Gruppe announces a new generation of surface and chamfering grinding machines. With extensive improvements in the area of material and construction, the process reliability of this new generation of machines has been improved even further, to significantly reduce production costs whilst increasing quality. At the exhibition, the new combined machine, a surface and chamfering grinding machine type 72/865, will be introduced for the first time, as part of the latest product generation. This combined machine is specifically designed for low and middle range brick production capacities and complements the proven single machines for mechanical surface and chamfer processing perfectly. www.arnold-gruppe.de

Atlas—Level 2, Hall 3, Stand D41 Atlas MTT GmbH, will be exhibiting together with their Spanish sales representative, Controltecnica Equipos Y, where Atlas will present a variety of products and services that support manufacturers of PV modules, raw materials and components, including the SolarTest 1200, a portable laboratory device that tests small-sized samples, the SUNTEST® XXL+, Atlas’ largest flatbed xenon instrument, the XR360 PV module weather durability testing system, the XenoCal® Solar sensor, and the Atlas 25PLUS program for predicting the effects of long-term environmental exposure during the product’s lifetime. In addition, Dr. Olivier Haillant, a member of Atlas’ Solar Energy Competence Center, will give a poster presentation entitled “Accelerated Weathering Testing to Predict the Environmental Durability of Organic PV Systems” during the 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion

32 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Equipment vendor baumann extends the range of modules for its automation systems for crystalline solar cell manufacturing. bauman’s new wafer handling system for the loading and unloading of SiC diamond boats offers a capacity of 1,000 wafers guarantees an output of 4,000 wafers per hour. Additionally, the proven standard equipment for wafer inspection, loading and unloading of wetbenches, diffusion-, PECVD- and oxidation ovens has been further optimized. www.baumann-automation.com DEK Solar— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand B14 DEK Solar is preparing to launch its highly anticipated Eclipse platform. A world-first,

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Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC

the Eclipse showcase on DEK Solar stand B14 will introduce EU PVSEC visitors to the company’s pioneering high throughput metallization solution for commercial solar cell production. Launching an entirely new, flexible platform design concept, Eclipse incorporates a series of field retrofittable process modules that enable manufacturers to easily scale production up and down, to 1200, 2400 or 3600 wph. The primary process modules, including the print head and loader, incorporate master controls and are designated as master units. Additional process modules operate as secondary “slaves”, making the scale-up process even more cost effective. www.deksolar.com

components. Visitors will also learn about REIS Robotics, the company’s preferred equipment supplier for Dow Corning PV6100 cell encapsulent series solutions. Dow Corning will also be presenting at the conference. www.dowcorning.com dr. schwab Inspection Technology— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand A45

Despatch Industries— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand C3

Despatch Industries will be displaying its new dual lane UltraFlex™ firing and drying furnace. The recently introduced dual-lane UltraFlex caters to customers who demand higher productivity while maintaining peak performance. The UltraFlexä is a smarter, more efficient tool utilizing Microzone™ technology to provide customers with infinite profile flexibility, independent of belt speed and the ability to adapt to changing cell architectures such as fine line and high aspect ratio printing, new pastes and selective emitters. Visitors are invited to the Despatch booth in Hall 2, stand C3 to view the unit and meet with the company’s experts to discuss the exciting new technology and revolutionary cell manufacturing capabilities Despatch is bringing to the solar industry. www.despatch.com Dow Corning— Level 2, Hall 1, Stand B11 Dow Corning will feature two new products, Dow Corning PV-8080 neutral sealant, which provides excellent fit and long-term bonding and protection against moisture and thermal shock as well as vibration in framing applications, and Dow Corning PV-7321 potting agent, which provides protection against corrosion and moisture, increasing reliability and protection of junction box

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dr. schwab Inspection Technology will showcase its newly developed inline wafer inspection system, FPI wafer. dr. schwab’s FPI wafer is a fast and reliable in-line solution to examine texturing and SiN coating layer on mono- and multicrystalline silicon wafers. Equipped with proprietary series of spectrometers it allows high-speed and high-resolution measurement to analyze the spectral reflectance of wafers within the cycle time of production. The results provide detailed information about degree and uniformity of texturing, coating thickness and colour. The modular design of FPI wafer allows easy integration into any production line. The system combines high-precision measurement with closed loop feedback functionality, powerful data analysis and result presentation together with user-friendly operation. www. schwabinspection.com ECM—Level 2, Hall 3, Stand A64 Engineered Conductive Materials LLC (ECM) plans to introduce a new line of products for solar module manufacturers. ECMs DB-1541-X Series was developed to exhibit “rubber-like” flexibility which reduces stress in the bond line, imparts resistance to thermal cycling, mitigates the risk of delamination and increases the overall peel strength of the assembly. By delivering stable contact resistance to non-noble metals with “rubber-like” flexibility, the ECM DB-1541-X Series will satisfy the rigorous performance and reliability requirements for thin film PV and potentially thinned c-Si PV in the years to come. www.conductives.com Essemsolar— Level 3, Hall 4, Stand A6 Essemsolar will present new accurate printing and measurement systems,

including the flexible Ecoline metallization line with 8 µm capability and the Traqu interferometric 3-D measurement system. Both are designed for pilot lines and process laboratories.Traqu can digitize any surface using an infra-red interferometric measurement system. It features resolution in the range of below one micrometer. The Ecoline metallization line from Essemsolar is one of the most accurate in the world, featuring an accuracy of below 8 µm. The line consists of wafer magazine handlers on input and output and an SP900-S high-accuracy screen printing system. The line can be supplemented with in-line dispensing and curing. All machines feature high quality, accuracy and a secure wafer feeding system. The line can metalize wafers up to 210 x 210 mm in size and 100-500 µm in thickness. www.essemtec.com GEROLD—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand D12

GEROLD will be exhibiting its new HMAsystem, a production cell for edge-sealing with hot melt (butyl). The HMA-system automatically applies liquid butyl for edgesealing of PV-modules. Edge-sealing brings about better encapsulation properties, significantly improving product safety, module performance and durability. The advantages of liquid butyl application versus butyl tape are less waste, the more economical use of packing drums, and improved product quality. www.gerold-mb.de imec—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand A30 Imec’s research into photovoltaics aims at finding techniques to fabricate cheaper and

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 33

Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC

more efficient solar cells. In 2009, imec launched an industrial affiliation program (IIAP) on crystalline Si PV. As with imec’s other successful IIAPs in IC scaling, imec defined the generic base for the research: developing technologies to reduce the cost of energy production through silicon solar cells. Companies are invited to join imec’s Si PV IIAP to do joint precompetitive research. At PVSEC, imec will report advances in its Si PV program including record efficiencies on crystalline Si solar cells fabricated on a quasi industrial process. Other results that will be highlighted include record efficiencies for large-area epitaxial thin-film silicon solar cells, spray coating optimization to produce organic solar cells with efficiencies above 3.7%, and significant reduction of cost of germanium-based thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells. www.imec.be Indium Corporation— Level 2, Hall 4, Stand A11

profit organization of manufacturers and suppliers of photovoltaic (PV) fabrication equipment and related raw materials, will demonstrate the PV Matrix, an innovative new solar supply chain tool. The IPVEA Matrix illustrates and links the complete PV Value Chain. Located at www.matrix. ipvea.org, the tool is designed to provide a central source of information in order to connect the solar industry. “The Matrix is an exceptional central source for information that links the complete solar supply chain. As the industry grows, so will the Matrix,” said Bryan Ekus, Managing Director of the IPVEA. www.ipvea.org juwi Solar— Level 2, Hall 3, Stand C9 juwi Solar continues to extend its international business activities with rapid strides. “We enter into new markets and are creating 500 new jobs until 2012 worldwide”, says juwi Solar managing director Lars Falck. The subsidiary of the German juwi group in Woerrstadt (RhinelandPalatinate) is presenting its services and product range. www.juwi.com

photoluminescence and thermographic signals by asymmetric homogeneous illumination of the solar cell. The 120 W fiber-coupled industrial laser system LIMO120-F400-SL808-103 is combined with the processing head IOS00019x-series. This device generates a homogeneously illuminated field under 35° angle of incident that fits to solar cell sizes up to 210 x 210 mm. The center wavelength of 790…808 nm is essential for the separation of excitation source and signal light. In addition, small bandwidth versions (< 1 nm) are available as an option. www.limo.de Manz Automation— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand D13

KIC—Level 2, Hall 4, Stand A51a

Indium Corporation is featuring its newly developed copper-gallium (Cu/Ga) rotary sputtering target. The targets are made by Indium Corporation’s vertically integrated, proprietary process utilizing aerospace powder metallurgy technology. The production process output results in a consistently homogeneous alloy, with low contaminate levels and consistent density throughout the target. The targets can be produced in chemistry ranges from 50% to 80% Cu atomic weight, with Ga making up the balance of the alloy. They are produced as a monolithic material, bonded onto the backing tube during Indium Corporation’s unique hybrid consolidation process. www.indium.com/solar Intego—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand D9 Intego introduces its new ANTARES system for automatic detection of microcracks in silicon cells. The ANTARES inspection system can inspect mono- and polycrystalline cells of 156 × 156 mm² (thickness from 150 μm up to 300 μm) and has a cycle time of two seconds per cell, allowing the use for standard automated production lines. Microcracks down to a length of 1 mm can be detected. www.intego.de IPVEA—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand A8 The International PV Equipment Association (IPVEA), an independent, non-

KIC’s partnership with the renowned Balver Zinn group has expanded into the solar cell manufacturing industry with the company now selling KIC’s awardwinning SunKIC, e-Clipse and Spectrum products. These have demonstrated up to 0.51 percent cell efficiency improvements through more accurate and repeatable profiling and process improvements. Until recently, cell manufacturers had only a limited ability to identify better furnace settings and to periodically adjust the furnaces when the process changed, for example after preventive maintenance. KIC’s new technologies allow cell manufacturers to control their own thermal process results with significant productivity and profitability improvements. Balver Zinn will display the KIC products in booth L2/H4/A51a. www.kicthermal.com LIMO—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand A48 Illumination systems for analyzing surface properties are often located perpendicular to the inspected surface. Therefore, the solar cell has to be illuminated under a certain angle to improve the signal. LIMO has developed a diode laser that generates

34 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Manz Automation will be showcasing a number of products for the manufacturing cSi solar cells and thin film solar modules. An exclusive know-how licensing and strategic alliance agreement with WürthSolar enables Manz Automation AG to become the only provider that can currently offer an integrated, fully operational production line for CIGS solar modules that generates profit. Products on hand will include the SpeedPicker for crystalline silicon solar cells, the Manz one-step selective emitter, and the HAP 2400 high accuracy printer, among others. www.manz-automation.com Montech—Level 2, Hall 2, Stand C6 Montech AG is introducing several new products, including a new vacuum conveyor to carry wafers at a speed of 2 meters per second, essential to increase plant productivity. Montech will also exhibit new solutions to convey modules and carriers and its full range of belt conveyors for the solar industry. www.rehm-group.com

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Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC

Rehm—Level 2, Hall 4, Stand D15 Rehm Thermal Systems presents an advanced new series of drying systems and firing systems for solar cell metallization. These systems offer a range of advanced process features and thermal control that enable PV manufacturers to move their processes to an entirely new level of efficiency and yield. The systems on display include the Solardryer RDS 2100 and RDS 3000, with a combination of five IR and one central convection zone for drying, as well as the RFS and RFS-D fast firing systems, which were just launched following exhaustive testing by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute ISE. www.rehm-group.com SENTECH Instruments— Level 2, Hall 4, Stand A16

the advantages of inline substrate transport and static processing. It allows coating of complex layers, like layer stacks or gradients by keeping a continuous substrate flow. The process variability, the small tool foot print and high reliability guarantee high cell efficiencies, excellent total cost of ownership and high uptime. www.singulus.de Sono-Tek— Level 2, Hall 4, Stand A45

Sono-Tek Corporation, a US-based company specializing in ultrasonic equipment used for alternative energy product manufacturing, will highlight its ultrasonic coating equipment, including a high-speed ultrasonic reciprocating coating system, HyperSonic. The HyperSonic system is designed to coat large area solar glass (up to 122 cm) with uniform, thin film anti-reflective coatings. Sono-Tek’s ultrasonic coating technology applies an optimum anti-reflective layer, maximizing light available for conversion and increasing transmission over the sun’s incident angles. www.sprayfluxing.com teamtechnik— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand C15

SENTECH will highlight the SenSol Haze, designed for quality control of TCO films in PV manufacturing of thin film solar cells. It offers uniformity mapping of film thickness and spectrally resolved Haze H(λ) on glass sheets of all standard glass sizes. The SenSol Haze comprises the computer controlled conveyor transport system and the sensor platform for haze and film thickness. The special design of the system allows measurements at every position of the glass sheet, especially at the edges. Glass sheets can be loaded and unloaded manually or by robot. The high measurement speed allows even the integration of the system into a manufacturing line. www.sentech.de SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES— Level 2, Hall 2, Stand B11 SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES presents the SINGULAR PECVD tool for crystalline silicon solar cell production. SINGULAR is a coating tool for the application of anti-reflection coatings (ARC) on crystalline silicon solar cells. The innovative tool concept is based on static inline production which combines

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teamtechnik will be presenting a new, more compact STRINGER TT1200. This high throughput stringer system solders solar cell strings at 1200 cycles per hour on just one track and is therefore one of the fastest in the world. teamtechnik specialists have been working very hard on the efficiency of this tried and tested stringer technology and the company has succeeded in optimizing the price-performance ratio further. Other innovations with the “STRINGER TT1200 single track”, in addition to the more compact design, are shorter set up times and a shorter delivery time of a maximum of three months. The system’s power consumption and noise levels have also been reduced again. teamtechnik will be hosting a live demonstration with commentary of the

production of solar cell strings using the new STRINGER TT1200 single track at its stand. www.teamtechnik.com Vitronic—Level 2, Hall 3, Booth C19 The heart of VITRONIC’s new VINSPECsolar system is a high-resolution color line scan camera which provides 64 MPixel of image information. This is possible through four individual lines for the color ranges red, green, blue as well as black and white, which each have a resolution of 40 µm. Together with the optimal LED illumination, excellent print quality and color classification are guaranteed. Color, surfaces, edges and geometries are precisely and reliably inspected. Just in time for the EU PVSEC, VITRONIC shines with some more highlights in the area of solar cell inspection: Faster micro-crack detection, improved process monitoring in the texture inspection and an even higher resolution in the print inspection. www.vitronic.de Dr. Bertrand Piccard to deliver keynote speech Dr. Bertrand Piccard, initiator and president of the Solar Impulse project, will deliver the keynote speech at the opening session of the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition/5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion. The title of the speech will be “Pioneering Spirit for Inventing the Future—Around the World in a Solar Airplane.” Dr. Piccard will talk about the Solar Impulse project, its objectives, status and recent milestones as well as its potential impact on the future of renewable energies, and photovoltaic solar energy in particular. The project entered a new phase on 8 July 2010 when the Solar Impulse accomplished the first day and night flight ever propelled only by solar energy. Piccard’s project to fly around the world with 100% solar energy is the perfect start into the ambitious and busy week of this global PV solar energy event. Perspectives of how massive deployment of photovoltaic systems will look like in 10 years from now and how PV and other Renewable Energies will deliver an even higher percentage of the global energy consumption in the future, will be outlined and discussed during this upcoming 25th EU PVSEC/ WCPEC-5.

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 35

Show preview: 25th EU PVSEC

25th EU PVSEC event highlights PV Production Forum Tuesday, 7 September 08:30-18:30 The programme of the PV Production Forum 2010, will feature presentations on production technologies including PV production market, silicon and thin film production, and will be led by industry experts from manufacturers and suppliers of PV fabrication, equipment and related raw materials. The PV Production Forum 2010 will provide an essential opportunity for networking across all segments of the PV production industry along with informing its participants about the changing dynamics, technologies and developments in the PV manufacturing supply chain. This Forum addresses best practices and case studies that can assist PV production management, purchasing staff, and product managers how to increase throughput, efficiency, and save money in their production fabs. Market Session 08:30-12:10 Salon de Actos / Foro Norte Fully integrated and highly automatic - Technology processes in one of the most modern solar factories in the world Dr. Karl Heinz Küsters, Head of Technology, Conergy Technology Development on Wafer-Cell-Module-Lines to reach lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCoO) Mr. Sylvère Leu, CIO, Meyer Burger

Diamond Wire for PV applications - bricking , squaring and wafering Mr. Brian Larabee, VP Sales and Marketing, Diamond Materials Tech Crystalline Module Fab: Higher yield with improved process control Mr. Claudio Meisser, CTO, Komax Laser technology for manufacturing PV cells and modules Mr. Richard Hendel, International Sales Manager, ROFINBAASEL Lasertech Automation as a key success factor for PV manufacturing Mr. Steffen Gunther, Sales Manager Solar, Reis Robotics Advanced Metrology Solutions for High-Volume Module Production Mr. Mark Willingham, Vice President, Spire Latest robot applications for high-end automated back-end module manufacturing Mr. Karsten Busch, Industry Segment Manager Solar PV, ABB Automation Thin Film Session 13:30-18:30 Sala Joaquin Rodrigo / Exhibition Area Advancements in Nanocrystal PV Manufacturing Dr. Damoder Reddy, CEO, Solexant

PV Manufacturing Equipment - A Current Overview and Future Opportunities Mr. Tim Dawson, Automation Research Director, IMS Research

In-line Metrology for Thin-Film PV Production Dr. Stefan Gritsch, Product Manager, Dr. Schenk Industriemesstechnik

Large Scale PV manufacturing – Advanced Design and Automation concepts to reduce overall CoO (Cost of Ownership) Dr. Klaus Eberhardt, Technology Manager Photovoltaics, Global Technology Services, M+W Germany

ALD production systems for manufacturing of CIGS and enhanced efficiency c-Si solar cells Mr. Jarmo Skarp, Application Manager Photovoltaics, Beneq Oy

A Roadmap towards Grid Parity using integrated automation concepts for large scale PV factories Dr. Roland Schreieck, Business Development Solar, Siemens

High Reliability of Conductive Adhesives for Thin-Film Interconnects Mr. Rich Wells, CTO, Engineered Conductive Materials, LLC

PV Equipment - Market and Development Ms. Elisabeth Schaertl, Manager Sales Asia, KUKA Systems

Next Generation Thin-Film Scribing Equipment Dr. Marc Hueske, Vice President, LPKF SolarQuipment

Silicon Session 13:30-18:30 Sala Ausias March / Exhibition Area Power solutions for a stable and efficient poly-silicon deposition process Mr. Gladwyn De Vidts, VP Power Control Solutions Division, AEG Power Solutions Modern Production Technology for Silicon Solar Cells Mr. Patrick Binkowska, Head of Business Unit Photovoltaics, Singulus Technologies

7th European PV Industry Summit September 6, 14:00-18:30, auditorium 3a Top level speakers will discuss the conditions to ensure a sustainable development of the global PV market in this EPIAorganized event.

Efficiency improvements and shorter return on invest on Thin Film PV modules Dr. Thomas Umschlag, Head of Sales - Thin Film Solar, Manz Automation Is the Backend a Bottleneck? Mr. Hendrikus Salemink, Product Manager Photovoltaics, Schiller Automation Industrial Sputtering - Improvements in Productivity and Cntrol for Transparent Conductive Oxides Mr. Victor Bellido-Gonzalez, R&D Manager, GENCOA

PV Policy Debate September 7, 10:30-12:30, room 3g/f The European Union has set the goal of providing 20% of its energy demand using renewable sources by the end of this decade. The Policy Debate, which will be moderated by Roger Harrabin, reputated journalist at BBC, will provide the best forum to present the latest progress in PV solar implementation plans.

36 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

IEA PVPS Workshop September 9, 13:30-17:30, room 4f Join this workshop being organized by the IEA PVPS Programme to consider what may lie ahead and what technical and demonstration bridges need to be crossed to achieve a significant penetration of PV.

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Industry News

Maintenance-Free Dispensing The TS5000DMP valve provides accurate and repeatable dispensing for various manufacturing processes:

• Dispense silver epoxy for stringing cells • Dispense solder paste in tabbing process • Linking terminal bus bars of multiple cells Techcon Systems offers a complete line of precision fluid dispensing equipment for the renewable energy industry. Contact: www.techconsystems.com 1-714-230-2398

Fluid Dispensing Valves www.globalsolartechnology.com

Valve Controllers

Dispensing Syringes

Dispensing Tips

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 37

Anayst Industrybuzz News

Analyst buzz Solar PV module market grew to $7.1 bn in Q2’10 Solar PV module shipments increased for the fifth consecutive quarter in Q2’10 to 3.7 GW, generating $7.1 billion in revenues according to IMS Research’s latest quarterly report on the solar cell & module market. The first half of 2010 saw high demand from major PV markets, particularly Germany where proposed feed-in-tariff cuts drove demand to new levels. Solar module shipments are forecast to increase once again in Q3’10 to reach 4.3 GW. “In contrast to the first half of 2009, when declining module prices and poor economic conditions stalled the market, current market conditions have lead to huge a huge surge with PV module shipments in Q1’10 increasing by over

European solar photovoltaic market faces instability for next 5 years as PV policy outlook tightens The pace of the European solar photovoltaic (PV) market in the first half of 2010 was dominated by the impending mid-year incentive tariff reductions in Germany and conditioned by the lower module pricing that emerged through 2009, according to the latest from Solarbuzz® in Europe PV Markets 2010. “Despite the strength of end-market demand, which was one-third higher in Germany in the first half of 2010 than in the second half of 2009, the first PV module price increases of 2010 only emerged in June,” noted Alan Turner, vice president of European market research for Solarbuzz. “Even then, the increases in euro terms only partially compensated for the deteriorating price picture in dollar terms caused by the euro’s dramatic decline against the dollar. Such is the strength of supply growth in the PV industry.” German PV market reaches 3.87GW, up 109% Y/Y Looking back at 2009, the German PV market reached 3.87 GW, growth of

60% compared to the same quarter of the previous year,” said research analyst Sam Wilkinson. “PV module suppliers are undoubtedly enjoying this surge in demand and results have improved significantly. We predict that average gross margins will reach over 30% this quarter.” First Solar, which currently enjoys some of the highest gross margins of PV module manufacturers, remained the largest supplier in Q1’10. However, its share of module shipments decreased for the fifth consecutive quarter and the gap between it and its crystalline competitors closed further, a trend that is likely to continue throughout this year. Whilst IMS Research predicts that total PV module shipments will grow by 60% in 2010, shipments

2009 Europe PV market size by country (MW)

109%. The growth would have been even larger if not for a shortage of inverters that has curbed the market since September 2009. The largest customer segments in 2009 were investor groups (42% of the on-grid market), agricultural (18%) and commercial (14%), with utility and government customers playing a smaller role. Private residential PV systems accounted for 13% of the market. With 770 MW newly installed capacity, Italy became the world’s second largest PV market. The Czech Republic, France and

38 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) modules (dominated by First Solar) are forecast to increase by just 20% due to limited capacity increases for the technology until 2011; these results will mean that CdTe’s share of shipments will decrease from nearly 11% in 2009 to just over 8% in 2010. In contrast, the five largest Chinese module manufacturers (Suntech, Trina, Yingli, Canadian Solar and Solarfun), all suppliers of crystalline technology, continued to increase their command of the market and their combined share of global shipments reached 28% in the first quarter.

Belgium combined to add 933 MW of newly installed capacity in 2009. Growth of the total European market was just 16% in 2009, while growth excluding Spain was a remarkable 126%. This highlights the vulnerability of the overall market to policy review in the larger markets balanced against the growth of emerging markets. The PV industry has gone from boom to bust and back to boom within a cycle of less than two years from the downturn in Spain late in 2008 to the current surge in Germany. On that basis, few would project stability over the next five years. The fundamental problem is the continued dependence of the industry on market incentives. Increasingly, their cost is becoming a “political hot potato” when programs overshoot their planned scale. PV policy outlook is tightening The specter of further cutbacks in incentive levels in major markets now hangs over the PV industry some 21 months on from the start of the debacle that has turned the Spanish market from leader to laggard. The macro economic climate has also changed markedly over that period. The banking crisis that

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Analyst buzz

coincided with the Spanish PV market downturn has turned into a broader economic malaise. Current forecasts indicate the new mechanism of tariff adjustment in Germany will be effective over the 20112012 period in subduing the German market. Despite this there remains upside potential in 2011, especially in the most aggressive pricing environment of the Solarbuzz Production-Led scenario. The European outlook of tightening policy as governments seek to reduce the economic burden of their national incentive programs will sustain pressure for continued price reduction beyond the short-term tightening around mid-2010. Turner added, “Exposure to individual country markets remains a high risk strategy. The policy risks are simply too great and downstream solar companies need to look for a geographical portfolio that balances materiality and growth to secure their long-term position.” Figure 1: 2009 Europe PV Market Size by Country (MW) Source: Solarbuzz Europe PV Markets 2010 Solarbuzz Europe PV Markets 2010 provides detailed review of Europe’s 2009 PV market and a five-year forecast. NanoMarkets sees $8.2 billion BIPV market by 2015 NanoMarkets, a Virginia-based market research and analysis firm, has just issued a new report on the building integrated photovoltaics market (BIPV). The firm predicts that the global BIPV market will reach $8.2 billion in revenues by 2015 driven by the cost advantage that BIPV can provide versus conventional PV solutions. Furthermore, BIPV provides both the improved aesthetics and necessary energy efficiency that will allow property developers and owners to better compete in stagnating real estate markets. The report, titled “Building Integrated Photovoltaics Opportunities: 2010,” is the latest in the firm’s on-going coverage of the market that dates back to 2006. NanoMarkets has also issued other analyses related to organic, dye cell sensitive and inorganic thin-film pv in the past several months and will soon publish additional reports on BIPV in Europe and BIPV inAsia later in 2010. This report analyzes and quantifies the opportunities for firms at all levels of the BIPV value chain. PV materials suppliers will discover how the market is shaping up

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in the BIPV space for crystalline silicon, thin-film silicon, CIGS, CdTe, organic PV and dye sensitized cells. Panel makers and building materials firms will learn about the latest design, market and cost trends for the full range of BIPV products including: flush-mounted panels, fully integrated tiles, standalone flexible laminates, fully integrated flexible BIPV products, and BIPV glass. For all products and materials covered an eight-year shipment forecast in both value and MW terms is included. Leading firms covered in this report include 3M, 3S Swiss Systems, Ascent Solar, Atlantis Energy, Bosch Solar, BP Solar, Corus, Dow Chemical, DRI/ Lumeta, DuPont, First Solar, FlexCell, Fujifilm, Global Solar, JA Solar, JN Solar, Konarka, Odersun, Pilkington, Pythagoras, Schott, Schüco Solar, Sharp, Solarcentry, Solarwood, SRS, Sunovation, SunPower, Suntech, United Solar Ovonic, US Tile, Würth Solar, Xunlight and others. MCS certification could cause artificial restraint of British photovoltaic market The British photovoltaic market has a feature unique to Great Britain: In order to benefit from the feed-in tariff (FIT) for solar generated electricity, the products installed as well as the installer carrying out the installation process both have to be accredited by the “Micro-generation Certification Scheme” (MCS). The certificate which is issued by the British Standards Institute (BSI) is required for systems of up to 50 kW in size. The residential segment in the UK which is also the strongest is most affected by this regulation. With the launch of the “Green Energy Cashback” on 1 April, 2010, the British government has paved the way for the successful development of the renewable energies market in Great Britain. Photovoltaic technologies are set to receive the most lucrative funding whereby homeowners interested in small systems are entitled to the highest remuneration rates. However, the government has attached certain conditions to the payment of remuneration which could lead to the artificial restraint of this all important segment. The market research institute EuPD Research has come to this conclusion in it’s latest study of the British photovoltaic market titled “The UK Photovoltaic Market 2010 – Tapping the Fullest Potential.” A central part of this study was a survey carried out among installers. It reflected

the vital role played by small systems or rather the residential sector in the solar industry. Almost 79 percent of those interviewed said that residential customers were their most important customers. Little is expected to change here in 2010, when they are likely to make up a share of 78 percent. Customers from the public sector constitute the second most important group. Their share increased from 14 percent in 2009 to 16.6 percent in 2010. Commercial customers and operators of solar parks play a very minor role which can be seen as a direct result of funding being limited to systems up to a capacity of 5 MW. Lack of standardization of the MCS process The MCS regulation applies to systems up to 50 KW and should be seen in a positive light. In fact, it should enhance the transparency of the quality of products and installations for customers. However, the rule that the FIT is only paid when MCS approved products are installed by MCS accredited installers can be seen as a major bureaucratic hurdle to be toppled by installers serving the most significant customer segment. On the one hand, installers have to cover the costs incurred during the process themselves. On the other hand, a uniform standardized process has yet to be put in place. This means that the accreditation of one installer can take a longer period of time and be more expensive than that of another installer. This could eventually scare off a number of small installers. The consequence of which would be an insufficient service of demand in this segment as well as a regulation induced limitation of the market. Yet this hurdle could be seen by manufacturers of solar components as an opportunity to establish distribution channels at a grass roots level. They could target accredited installers but also those who have shied way from the process to date. Financial assistance could be offered for the certification process as a way of binding the installer to the company. Solar market set to continue expansion in 2011, reports iSuppli Corp. Despite concerns that reductions in government incentives will halt growth in installations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in 2011, iSuppli Corp. predicts the global PV market will continue to expand next year as falling prices make solar energy more attractive. iSuppli Corp. says global PV system

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 39

Analyst buzz

iSuppli Figure: Global PV System Installation Forecast (in Megawatts) 40,000

120% Installations Annual Growth %

35,000

100%

Megawatts

30,000 80%

25,000 20,000

60%

15,000

40%

10,000 20%

5,000 -

0% 2009

2010

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Figure 2 PV Module Inventory Dynamics (in Days) 180 160

Channel (All Types) Supplier Held (c-Si)

140

Days

120 100 80 60 40 20 Q1'09

Q2'09

Q3'09

Q4'09

installations in 2011 will amount to 20.2 gigawatts, up 42.7 percent from 14.2GW in 2010. While this represents a significant slowdown from 97.9 percent growth in 2009, it remains an impressive performance in light of expected rollbacks in subsidy programs from various governments. The figures above present iSuppli’s forecast of annual global PV installations. “Because of the cuts in Feed-in-Tariffs (FITS) in Germany and Italy next year, and the budget concerns in Greece, Italy and Spain, PV installations in 2011 will slow somewhat compared to the blistering pace of 2010,” said Stefan de Haan, senior analyst for iSuppli. “Furthermore, the weakening of the euro versus the Chinese yuan will artificially inflate prices for solar cells and other system components in Europe. But contrary to some observers’ fears, installations will continue to rise at a prodigious rate next year. Modestly falling pricing for solar cells and complete PV systems are expected to more than mitigate the negative impact of the falling FITs and rising yuan.” Assuming the U.S. dollar/euro exchange rate remains above $1.20/€, iSuppli predicts crystalline silicon solar

Q1'10

Q2'10

Q3'10 (F)

Q4'10 (F)

cell prices will not increase in 2010 and instead will decline by 5 percent compared to 2010. Prices for installations in 2011 will fall slightly more, decreasing by approximately 10 percent on average in Europe. Installation prices will decline to compensate for reduced subsidies in the largest markets of Germany, Italy and France. Because of this decline, the average Return On Investment (ROI) for PV installation projects is expected to remain attractive and to continue to stimulate substantial demand. Even with Italy’s FIT cut of 10 to 27 percent split over the year, the ROI for solar installations completed in the country during 2011 will average 10 percent for major market segments. In Germany, assuming a 13 percent FIT cut, the projected ROI will be in the range of 8 to 10 percent.

will install 9.5 GW worth of PV systems in 2011. This will represent a 43.9 percent increase from 6.6 GW in 2010, down from 73.4 percent in 2010. No. 2 solar generator Italy will install 2 GW worth of PV systems in 2011, up 53.6 percent from 1.3 GW in 2010. The United States will install the third largest total of PV systems in 2011, at 1.9 GW, up 79.3 percent from 1.1 GW in 2010. This is down from 152.3 percent growth in 2010. In fourth and fifth places, respectively, France and Japan will experience healthy expansion, with both countries crossing the 1GW threshold for new installations for the first time. A notable drop-out during 2011 will be the Czech Republic as its installations plunge to 150MW to 250MW for the year, down from 1GW in 2010. The country’s precipitous decline will be driven by new FIT legislation reducing the current tariffs. Foreign investors drove the market in 2009 and 2010, creating a solar boom comparable to that in Spain in 2008. iSuppli expects that the Czech Republic’s government will take measures to drastically reduce the amount of new solar installations. Solar event in 2012 Global PV installation growth is set to undergo a major deceleration in 2012, with a rise of only 2.8 percent to 20.8GW for the year. “iSuppli believes 2012 will be the year when the PV industry weans itself from the generosity of German subsidies,” de Haan said. “The German market will cool off and expand by only 4 to 5GW per year for the next several years. We believe the government aims to keep an orderly progression in order to achieve an ultimate goal of around 80GW of installed PV capacity.”

Solar upside With the ROI still positive, leading solar countries will still experience robust growth in PV installations in 2011, although at a slower rate than in 2010. No. 1 solar energy country Germany

40 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

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First Solar Manufacturing, Frankfurt, Germany (top)—featured in Global Solar Technology issue 2.2, Mar/Apr 2009.

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Volume 2 Number 1 Jan/Feb 2009

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

issue_2.1.indd 1

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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

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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

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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

New Products Title

New products 3D-Micromac presents new procedure for laser scribing of organic solar cells The sector of organic electronics in general has seen great progress in the last years. While the first applications of organic conductive materials were proof-of concept devices, today more and more real applications emerge. Among these, organic LEDs (OLEDs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are of great interest for a number of reasons. Compared to the production steps of conventional inorganic solar cells, which involve etching processes with highly toxic and environmentally harmful chemicals, the production of organic solar cells is largely unproblematic. Furthermore a great advantage of flexible conductive and semi-conductive polymers is the possibility to deposit them in high throughput and cheaper roll-to-roll coating processes. This feature provides huge potential for future production of low cost photovoltaics. The pattern of the solar cells can either be generated by a structured printing step or, as already established in silicon-based photovoltaics, by high precision laser scribes (P1/P2/P3). For those scribes 1064 nm, 532 nm and 355 nm are established wavelengths in the area of laser micromachining. In various tests for technology development in customer’s order and several research projects ultra-short pulse lasers were used to evaluate the applicability of those wavelengths for a selective ablation of an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These processes are already well established in the area of OLED-production. 3D-Micromac AG has developed and successfully introduced a state of the art manufacturing concept for this laser structuring process into the market. Based on the microSTRUCT workstations, a laser system was developed for the selective structuring of anode layers whereby the nearly transparent semiconductor tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is used as anode material. In addition to structuring the anode layer, all other layers of the OLED can also be processed. Another application is the repairing of short-circuits and other defects in the layer system of the OLED by isolating the respective areas. www.3d-micromac.com

HMA-system for edge-sealing with hot-melt The HMA-system automatically applies liquid butyl (hot-melt) for edge sealing of PVmodules. Typically, this applies to frameless thin-film modules. GEROLD has launched its product for international distribution this summer. Edge sealing brings about better encapsulation properties, thus significantly improving product safety, module performance, and durability. Where applicable, edge sealing is usually performed by means of butyl tape. However, this has certain pitfalls in regards to automation, cycle time and material utilization. This is where bulk butyl comes into play. The advantages of liquid butyl application include the use of more economical packing drums, less waste, and improved product quality. Furthermore, butyl ribbon acuity and repeat accuracy are more favorable, too. GEROLD’s HMA-system features a drum unloader from NORDSON. Depending on system configuration one or two dispenser are utilized. This is integrated in the GEROLD equipment, thus ensuring repeat accurate edge-sealing with optimal ribbon application and high throughput. Another value-add feature is available by integrating encapsulation foil sheeting and lay-up. This is sequentially performed when upgrading the production cell accordingly. Even assembly of glass-glass-modules can be incorporated into the production cell as a third process step. This modular configuration allows synchronizing critical process steps with minimum footprint. www.gerold-mb.de New encapsulant by Solutia combats module corrosion Solutia Inc. introduced an advanced encapsulant designed to prevent corrosion in solar cells. The new encapsulant, branded as Saflex® PS41 PVB, also inhibits discoloration, making it an ideal module encapsulant for use in building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

42 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

“Metal electromigration has long been a reliability concern in the electronics industry,” said Francois Koran, Solutia’s photovoltaic development manager. “It’s highly problematic for the photovoltaic market as well because of panel discoloration.” Metal electromigration is an electrochemical process where metal (e.g., silver), in contact with an insulating material in a

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New Products

Solar Metrology’s System SMX-Linear ISI is in-situ x-ray fluorescence (XRF) metrology tool platform

humid environment and under an applied electric field, migrates into the insulating material. The net result of metal migration can be either a reduction in insulation resistance or a short circuit, which may lead to circuit failure. For solar applications, module manufacturers are concerned that metal migration will affect the long term performance of solar modules which have life expectancies of twenty to thirty years. Modules designed for use in architectural applications (BIPV) are particularly sensitive to metal migration as any discoloration in the solar module is a critical concern for architects, designers, and module manufacturers. Discoloration in this case would undermine the aesthetic appearance of a building and bring to question the reliability and performance of the solar modules. Saflex PS41 is the first solar PVB encapsulant designed specifically to protect against metal migration and maintain the original aesthetics of the solar module. The key to this patent-pending technology is the ability of this encapsulant to prevent electromigration when in contact with certain metals such as silver, nickel, and vanadium. It is often the presence of these

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oxides that leads to module discoloration. www.solutia.com/PS41 In-situ XRF yield management tool for CIGS composition and thickness measurement Solar Metrology expanded its SMX XRF tool portfolio for film composition and thickness measurement of CIGS photovoltaic depositions with the addition of the System SMX-LINEAR ISI. Solar Metrology’s System SMX-Linear ISI is in-situ x-ray fluorescence (XRF) metrology tool platform that provides cross web or cross panel gradient measurement of CIGS composition and thickness measurements for thin film solar PV metal film stacks on flexible roll to roll substrates such as stainless steel, aluminum and polyimide or rigid substrates such as float glass. Typical measurement applications include Mo thickness and all CIGS combinations (including all CIG alloys and/or film combinations and final CIGS formulations). SMX LINEAR ISI is fast, flexible and easily integrated into any vacuum deposition tool or vacuum process station or point of a vacuum process line. SMX LINEAR ISI utilizes x-ray fluo-

rescence, an enabling technology for CIGS manufacture, that delivers yield management and yield improvement by allowing in-situ process control. The SMX LINEAR ISI tool Platform does not affect the deposition process since all SMX LINEAR ISI tool components reside outside of vacuum for optimum performance and serviceability. www.solarmetrology.com Chroma ATE introduces solar cell inspection and test product line to North America Chroma-ATE is launching phase-II of its solar manufacturing solutions in North American by introducing its automated & completely integrated solar panel assembly line for both thin film and c-Si cell technologies. This robust solution evolved from the flat panel display industry where Chroma has been the dominant test and automated handling partner of choice. “Optimized automated manufacturing will be a key factor for growing North American panel manufacturers,” said John R. Tessitore, Chroma’s director of business development for North America, “especially when competing with the more established Asian producers. Chroma has

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 43

New Products

supported the success of several companies throughout Asia; we understand the process, the technology and make the right tools to help the North American manufacturers by optimizing a single process or offering a one stop shop for complete solar panel manufacturing. With a track record of established performance we are excited to add these solutions to our North American product family.” Each panel assembly process may be easily integrated into an existing production line or configured as a complete turnkey automated production solution. Chroma’s solution offers flexibility from semi to full automation, low breakage, high throughput, adaptability to diverse panels on the same line and full validation as it efficiently integrates the sub-assemblies into a highly reliable and most efficient panel. To prove it, Chroma’s Manufacturing Execution System will track all materials and process and provide real time metrics from incoming goods to shipping pallets and beyond. All Chroma solar module and turnkey panel assembly solutions are immediately available worldwide. www.chromaus.com In-line CIGS and CdTe PV panel film composition analysis and thickness measurement Solar Metrology expands its portfolio of System SMX thin film composition and thickness measurement tools with the introduction of model SMX-ILH. The SMX-ILH (In-Line X-ray Head) tool is designed for in-line composition and thickness control of CIGS and CdTe photovoltaic thin film depositions. It offers a full (600 x 1200 mm) lateral range of measurement and can be inserted into printed, electrochemical and thermal film deposition processes. SMX-ILH provides process control for active, contact and TCO layers in PV thin film stacks, and is capable of analyzing rigid glass, flexible stainless steel and polyimide roll-to-roll substrates. An optional proprietary thermal shield allows for film control at panel temperatures of up to 300˚C. Offering fast and repeatable copperto-gallium ratio determination and both cross-web and cross-panel gradient analysis capability, SMX-ILH tools enable CIGS and CdTe PV panel manufacturers to realize significant yield improvements and conversion efficiency gains in production. Solar Metrology’s SMX Measurement System provides a production-ready suite of thin film thickness and composition measurement tools for research and process

development, in-process monitoring and post-process quality control. www.solarmetrology.com New nanotech/energy material research & development platform First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corporation, introduced the EasyTube™ 101, a new chemical vapor deposition research and development tool platform, part of the growing EasyTube™ family of products. This platform is designed to address the budget limitations and growing safety concerns for the university or industrial researcher at the forefront of technology in new processes for nanotechnology and energy related materials. Each EasyTube™ 101 system can be configured for a wide range of processes including ALD, APCVD, LPCVD, RTP, annealing, diffusion, etc. Most options and system reconfigurations can be added or installed in the field. The EasyTube™ 101 is controlled by First Nano’s proprietary realtime LabWindow™-based process control software, CVDWinPrC™, which provides recipe-driven process control, real-time graphing and automatic data logging for optimal process reproducibility. It also communicates with a PLC to handle the hardware interface and provide appropriate, industrial level safety systems and includes a standard web interface for remote training, software upgrades, system reconfiguration, support and troubleshooting. For research size samples the EasyTube™ 101 platform provides most of the capabilities of the advanced EasyTube™ 2000 and EasyTube™ 3000 platforms. The basic EasyTube™ 101 is attractively priced and provides many built in industrial level safety and process capabilities that are typically only found on more expensive industrial platforms and are missing on homemade systems. www.CVDequipment.com

mental challenges to maximize production. Their engineers evaluate each customer application, providing technical expertise to select the material and design a solution with the ultimate level of protection and performance for critical components. For many applications, ProTechna enables multiple components to be integrated into a single-part solution. This part count reduction simplifies installation, as well as reduces inventory and maintenance costs. From process doors to chamber lids and gates, ProTechna shields components from aggressive chemical and thermal attack in semiconductor and solar production. “Our customers have been looking for ways to shield components from harsh production environments,” says Marlin Braun, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Semiconductor & Solar. “By expanding the ProTechna solution into the semiconductor and solar industry, we are increasing our ability to provide turn-key solutions that stand up to heat, plasmas and other damaging conditions found throughout the fabrication processes.” www.gtweed.com Bentek Solar launches solar combiner configurator Bentek Solar launched the new Bentek Solar Configure-To-Order (CTO) Solar Combiner Configurator. “The Bentek Solar CTO configurator simplifies the configuration and quoting of custom CTO solar combiners,” said John H. Buckley, leading sales and marketing at Bentek Solar. “This tool has been designed to meet the needs of the marketplace for fast, accurate response to system designs and costs for complex components, and provides quotes to our customers within 24 hours or less. It is all about the ease of doing business with Bentek Solar and yet exceeding the exacting needs of our customers.” www.BentekSolar.com

ProTechna encapsulation for semicon & solar Greene, Tweed’s ProTechna encapsulation, now expanded for use in the solar industry, safeguards sensitive components, eliminating direct exposure to damaging conditions, such as temperature, plasma, chemical, and abrasion. This enhanced protection minimizes harmful particulation, extends operational service life and maximizes production capabilities. As part of their extensive portfolio of OpTegra™ integrated solutions, Greene, Tweed’s ProTechna capability offers custom solutions that solve critical environ-

44 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

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PVT Solar’s hybrid thermal and PV systems—blowing both hot and cold!

PVT Solar’s hybrid thermal and PV systems—blowing both hot and cold! Last month we mentioned the growing interest in solar PV/thermal installations for consumer applications at Intersolar. This month we got to talk with Gordon Handelsman of PVT Solar, with a novel approach to this concept using air, rather than a heat transfer fluid. Q. Many of the systems we have seen use liquid heat exchangers behind the solar PV panels. How is your system different? A. The solar PV panels on the front of the installation generate power conventionally. We collect the air from behind the panels, collect it through roof vents and use heat exchangers to generate hot water and air during the day and cooled air at night. Radiative cooling of the panels after dark provides a source of chilled air to supplement or replace night time air conditioning. Q. How do you install the system? Explain the benefits to the homeowner? A. Our first step is to replace the roofing tiles under the solar PV panel with waterproof felt and metal roofing. This is a 50-year roof that meets fire code and lasts for the life of the solar panels, unlike asphalt tiles, which may need the solar

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panels to be removed in case of shingle replacement. We then fit our mounting system direct to the roof structure, unlike the hit-or-miss approach when mounting through shingles. We install air collector ducts at the top of the roof, mount the solar panels, seal between the panels and install flashing on both sides and the top. This integrates the system into the roof and creates a much more pleasing appearance—a building-integrated aesthetic—than stand-alone panels. The balance of system is then connected to the roof vents and is installed indoors where it is easy to access and low-maintenance. On the roof we have no moving parts and no liquid filled systems that could corrode, leak or freeze. Air is simply drawn up from the bottom of the roof under the panels and collected through the vents at the top of the roof. Furthermore, the structural loads are significantly less than for a liquid heat exchanger system. Q. What are the design constraints on a system like this?

is somewhat different, as you have to store the energy on site (for example as hot water), use it or discard it. There’s much more thermal energy available than electrical—if the efficiency of the solar PV system is 15%, the efficiency of the thermal system is more than twice that. Q. Which climates are suitable? A. We have installations from Maine to Hawaii! Q. Which solar PV panels can you use? A. Essentially any of the current panel types. Q. What is your business model? A. We work with new homebuilders and provide a turnkey package to them. We also work with the existing solar dealer netwok for retrofits. Thank you for speaking with, Gordon. Alan Rae

A. Solar PV systems are connected to the grid, which acts as a giant battery. You charge it when you can and draw power from it when you can’t. Solar thermal

Global Solar Technology – September 2010 – 45

Industry News

Industry News— continued from page 5

optimization and brand enhancement. Mr. Yu will continue to manage daily responsibilities of manufacturing and operations management. www.trinasolar.com JA Solar signs strategic agreements with Innovalight for joint development of high efficiency solar JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., recently signed a three-year supply agreement for silicon nanoparticle ink from Innovalight, Inc., for the production of JA Solar’s recently announced SECIUM high efficiency solar cells. Pilot production of the SECIUM cells began in May with commercial volume production planned in the second half of 2010. JA Solar and Innovalight have also signed a strategic agreement to co-develop solar cells with conversion efficiencies exceeding 20 percent. Development will be performed at both Innovalight’s headquarters in California and at JA Solar’s R&D center in China. www.jasolar.com, www.innovalight.com SunEdison teams up with Ontario auto parts manufacturer to produce solar equipment SunEdison, a division of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., announced plans to produce racking equipment for its Canadian solar projects with Samco Solar, A Division of Samco Machinery Ltd., a Scarborough, Ontario based equipment and part manufacturer strongly focused on automotive. The project is expected to directly and indirectly result in more than 100 green jobs in the province. Retooling of the Samco plant has already begun. Using SunEdison’s proprietary design, which has been deployed globally on over 300 roof-tops, the first solar racking is expected to come off the line in September 2010. SunEdison also foresees exporting the solar racking equipment to the U.S market. www.sunedison.ca MRL Industries opens European Headquarters in UK MRL Industries opened a European headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent servicing the European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets. The company already supplies manufacturers throughout Europe direct from its US headquarters in California where it was established in 1979, later becoming part of the Sandvik Group in 1999. Increase in demand, both in semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing and the associated

requirement for installation and service facilities created an ideal opportunity for the company to open a dedicated European operation. www.mrlindustries.com Oerlikon Solar receives follow-up order from Tianwei Oerlikon Solar received an upgrade order from customer Baoding Tianwei Solar Films, Ltd. (Tianwei) to increase its production capacity of thin film silicon solar modules from 46 megawatts (MW) amorphous technology to 75 MW Micromorph® technology. Tianwei’s capacity expansion comes at a time when the global photovoltaic market (PV) is growing faster than ever, with the growth occurring despite reduction of government incentives in key markets. The upgrade will start in January 2011 and will be finalized and ready for mass production by March 2011. www.oerlikon.com/solar Meyer Burger wins order for over CHF 60 million with customer in Korea Meyer Burger successfully concluded a contract of over CHF 60 million for wire saws, ID-saws and wafer inspection systems with Nexolon in Korea, a manufacturer of mono- and multi-crystalline solar wafers with plans to expand its production facility from 850 MW to 1 GW by the end of 2011. The wire- and ID-saws from Meyer Burger Ltd and the wafer inspection systems from Hennecke Systems GmbH will secure the manufacturing of high quality solar wafers. www.meyerburger.ch AEG Power Solutions solar inverter for MW application achieves shining efficiency A report jointly issued by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and Bureau Veritas shows that AEG Power Solutions’ Protect PV.250 solar inverter offers a very high efficiency grade of 98.7%, based on energy conversion efficiency testing conducted according to European Standard EN 50530. The energy conversion efficiency testing was conducted at eight different power levels, nine DC voltage levels and for two module technologies (thin film and crystalline technology, both used in solar farms). MPPT testing, performed by ISE according to the same European EN 50530 standard, yielded a Maximum Power Point (MPP) efficiency grade of 99.99%. ISE also reported that the PV.250 inverter, launched in Sept. 2009, successfully complied with EN 50530 dynamic requirements. www.aegps.com

46 – Global Solar Technology – September 2010

Manz Automation acquires the exclusive rights of use to Würth Solar’s CIGS production technology Manz Automation AG and Würth Solar GmbH & Co. KG signed a know-how licensing and strategic alliance agreement that regulates the exclusive licensing of the production technology for CIGS photovoltaic modules from Würth Solar to Manz. In addition, in the strategic alliance agreement Manz Automation AG has also secured Würth Solar’s support for planning and executing the production lines for CIGS modules as well as the commissioning and ramp-up. A further key component of the agreement is the exclusive access to research results with regard to CIGS modules on glass substrates from the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW – Center for solar energy and hydrogen research), which results from the existing contractual relationship between Würth Solar and ZSW. www.manz-automation.com Despatch Industries 2010 first half firing furnace sales surpass 7 GW Despatch Industries announced that in the first half of 2010 the company sold 7 GW of nameplate metallization firing production capacity, surpassing orders received in 2008 & 2009 combined. Despatch recently exceeded 18 GW in firing furnace production orders, with over 400 units sold into the China market alone. Since being introduced in late 2009, the UltraFlex™ has seen exceptional industry acceptance. To date, more than 50 single and dual lane units have been sold worldwide. www.despatch.com Energy Innovations christens new design and manufacturing center Energy Innovations, Inc., opened its new 60,000 square-foot headquarters in Poway, Calif. The new facility, which was relocated from Idealab in Pasadena, Calif., houses the company’s corporate offices, design center and global manufacturing operations. In this new facility, Energy Innovations will design and manufacture its breakthrough Sunflower module which uses lenses to concentrate the sun’s energy onto ultra high-efficiency solar cells similar to those that have been used in satellites for years. By concentrating sunlight, Sunflower modules use 1/1,200th of the expensive photovoltaic material found in traditional solar panels popular today. www.energyinnovations.com

www.globalsolartechnology.com

Industry News

Several different methods of attaching PV ribbon were investigated, and the Unisonik was selected for its ease of use, flexibility and low cost of ownership. The Unisonik system, developed exclusively by Japan Unix, uses a proprietary combination of heat and vibration to allow soldering to previously difficult substrates. Stainless steel, aluminum, coated or uncoated glass, and many other substrates that were difficult to work with in the past now are standard processes due to this advanced system. www.christopherweb.com

Christopher Associates’ Unisonik selected for photovoltaic panels Christopher Associates announced that a Bay area thin film photovoltaic

manufacturing company recently adopted the Japan Unix ‘Unisonik’ soldering system for its large panel soldering needs.

Brian Harrison joins Solyndra as president and CEO Brian Harrison joined Solyndra, Inc., as president and CEO and will be appointed to the board of directors. Since 2008, Mr. Harrison has served as president and CEO of Numonyx, B.V., a leading international flash memory company. Chris Gronet, Solyndra’s Founder and current CEO, will continue to serve the company in an executive capacity and as chairman of the board of directors. www.solyndra.com

18 – 19 OCTOBER 2010 // IET LONDON: SAVOY PLACE, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Gala Networking Dinner sponsored by

ENABLING THE UK SOLAR MARKET FOR 2011 INTRODUCING THE FIRST OFFICIAL EVENT OF THE SOLAR POWER GROUP, THE VOICE OF THE SOLAR POWER INDUSTRY IN THE UK, HELD AT THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY IN LONDON. SOLAR POWER UK 2010 IS AN EVENT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS. This comprehensive 2-day conference including a mini exhibition will provide exclusive UK PV industry insights. Challenges of supply, cost and the rapid growth in demand from the UK have created the need for an accelerated maturation of the solar power industry. Solar Power UK 2010 will be the first step in ensuring that all the major players in

the UK market can come together as one industry to make sure that the 250MW target is achievable. An exclusive Gala Networking Dinner, sponsored by Trina Solar, will be held as an accompanying event to the conference, thus opening the opportunity for further networking and business development in an elite environment.

CONFERENCE DETAILS AND PROGRAMME ONLINE // REGISTER NOW! // http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/SPUK10 ORGANISED BY