ipvea-news_01_092008

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

International Photovoltaic Equipment Association The worldwide voice for the PV equipment manufacturing industry

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

DEAR MEMBERS After our first meeting in Frankfurt, Germany this past May, the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) has progressed well.

Since then, membership has increased to over 55 members from around the world. We warmly welcome all of our new members (see page 9 for current list).

The overall goal of the IPVEA is to provide members with a forum for information, discussion and exchange of ideas. In addition, this new organisation will develop business opportunities and strategic partnerships.

The timing for Photovoltaic Equipment suppliers to band together is especially essential, given our industry’s tremendous growth. But one of our aims is to reduce the time and money spent by manufacturers on attending the numerous new trade shows and conferences that

NEXT IPVEA MEMBER MEETING 4 SEPT 08 / 08:30AM – 09:30AM ROOM 4F, CONFERENCE CENTER, CENTRO DE EVENTOS, VALENCIA, SPAIN

have sprung up around the world.

We will strive to become a single voice for our industry.

Our new web site at http://www.ipvea.com will serve as an online hub for all of the association’s activities and a communication platform for our members. More web services will be offered in the near future.

We started discussions with several other like-minded organisations regarding shows and events that we will support in 2009 and 2010.

More detailed information about these discussions will be shared during the member IPVEA meeting in Valencia, Spain in September.

In order to further develop IPVEA and its international standing, we need the support and participation of all our members and experts.

Only with everybody’s commitment IPVEA can make a difference in the photovoltaic equipment industry.

Hans-Juergen Stangl, President IPVEA

CONTENTS INDUSTRY NEWS Scientists claim two new solar cell efficiency breakthroughs in the U.S. and Germany.... Holland and Belgium team up on organic photovoltaics.... Urban grids are ready for large amounts of solar electricity, according to the Fraunhofer Institute....

Large solar plants are planned by electric utilities in central and southern California.... Ground broken on first American highway will be lit by solar power

NEWSLETTER

WORLDWIDE THIN FILM PRODUCTION FORECAST

Produced by IPVEA www.ipvea.com

COMPREHENSIVE 3 MONTH INDUSTRY CALENDAR

EUROPE ADDRESS IPVEA, P.O. Box 1610, D-63406 Hanau, Germany Mobile: +1 49 1577 682 7926

WHITE PAPER Inside the U.S./Korean research partnership that is making prototype organic PV cells on plastic using roll-to-roll equipment.

US ADDRESS IPVEA, P.O. Box 771507 Orlando, Florida 32877, USA Tel: +1 407 856 9100 Fax: +1 407 856 9500 Mobile: +1 407 733 1901

IPVEA MEMBER BENEFITS IN POSTING JOBS ON SOLARJOBS.COM FULL LIST OF IPVEA MEMBERS CONTACT DETAILS FOR IPVEA

Editor in Chief: Bryan Ekus ekus@ipvea.com Managing Editor: Larry Jaffee news@ipvea.com Design: Doubletake Design Ltd. info@doubletakedesign.co.uk

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

Like to have your say? The IPVEA would love to hear your news, comments and ideas for future issues. Please e-mail news@ipvea.com

PAGE 2

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY NEWS

SCIENTISTS CLAIM 2 NEW SOLAR CELL BREAKTHROUGHS The photovoltaic research community is buzzing with optimism following two announcements this summer of breakthroughs in new levels of solar cell efficiencies discovered by researchers in the U.S. and Germany.

typically hits the earth on a sunny day. NREL said the new cell is a natural candidate for the space satellite market and for terrestrial concentrated photovoltaic arrays, which use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto the solar cells.

The new solar cell differs significantly from the previous record holder – also based on a NREL design. Instead of using a germanium wafer as the bottom junction of the device, the new design uses compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide to split the solar spectrum into three equal parts that are

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) said they set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8% of the light that hits it into electricity. According to NREL, this is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date.

Separately, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE said it set a new world record for fluorescent collectors: an electrical efficiency of 6.7%. Colored plates filter out part of the sunlight and redirect it to solar cells mounted on the plate edge. Fluorescent collectors have been developed by the researchers at Fraunhofer ISE as early as the 1980s. Now using new materials and techniques, improvements in the economic viability of the product are anticipated.

The 40.8% efficiency achieved by NREL’s inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell was measured under concentrated light of 326 suns. One sun is about the amount of light that

absorbed by each of the cell’s three junctions for higher potential efficiencies. This is accomplished by growing the solar cell on a gallium arsenide wafer, flipping it over, then removing the wafer.

The resulting device is extremely thin and light and represents a new class of solar cells with advantages in performance, design, operation and cost.

“First now, solar cells exist which have the high efficiencies needed,” says Jan Christoph Goldschmidt, project leader at Fraunhofer ISE. “For some time now, we have again

HOLLAND, BELGIUM TEAM UP ON ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAICS

Organic solar cell resulting from ECN’s research efforts and ready for transfer to low-cost large-area processes

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

begun investigations on fluorescent collectors and performed experiments that show our calculations are correct.”

For their experiments, the scientists at Fraunhofer ISE used over 20-year-old fluorescent collectors on PMMA basis. A 2 x 2 cm² high stack made up of one red and one yellow fluorescent collector was exposed to direct sunlight. Mounted on the plate edges, 4.8 cm² gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) solar cells convert the redirected sunlight into electricity. 6.7% of the sunlight incident on the stacked plates was converted into electricity. For practical applications, the area of the fluorescent collectors must be increased considerably in order that it is larger than the solar cell area. Only then will the system be economically profitable.

At this stage, Fraunhofer ISE does not expect that the technology will be ready in the short term to produce electricity on a large scale. The researchers are, however, confident that the new technology can be used, for example, in facades and windows to simultaneously generate electricity. Before practical applications are possible, however, comprehensive development work is still necessary.

The Fraunhofer work was supported by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU – German Federal Environmental Foundation) and the DFG-project “Nanosun” (PAK88).

More information: http://www.nrel.gov http://www.ise.fhg.de

ECN and Holst Centre, an open-innovation initiative by TNO (The Netherlands) and IMEC (Belgium), signed an agreement announced in July to offer a joint research program on Roll-toRoll organic photovoltaics (OPV) to the industry.

The aim of the program is to transfer lab-scale processes to low-cost, large-area processes compatible with Roll-to-Roll production.

research line for printed electronics will be used to complement the knowledge of ECN and support the further research towards low-cost, largearea manufacturing. To guarantee the low-cost potential, the upscaling will initially be done with active materials that are abundantly available, although new high-performance materials will be considered. In a first phase the investigated processes will be slot-die coating and gravure printing. Within the ECN labs, efficiencies of over 4% have been obtained. Aim is to at least sustain this level of efficiency when going towards rollto-roll production.

Although intrinsically less efficient than silicon, organic materials have entered the photovoltaics world because of their low-cost fabrication potential and possibility to manufacture flexible solar cells for emerging applications (smart textiles…). At ECN, organic photovoltaics have been researched for almost a decade. The knowledge of materials, system designs and production processes has come to a point where transition to large scale manufacturing has to be envisaged.

Being research centres, ECN and Holst Centre will not take any of the technology in production themselves. The open-innovation program aims at industrial parties to subscribe and assign resident researchers to join the research teams on site. A free non-exclusive license on the generated IP is given to all partners participating in the program. The OPV program aims to gather the entire value chain of materials suppliers (foil manufacturers, ink suppliers, etc.), equipment manufacturers and device integrators.

At Holst Centre, the recently opened Roll-to-Roll

More information: http://www.holstcentre.com

PAGE 3

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY NEWS

Building-integrated photovoltaic system at the Solar Info Center in Freiburg © Solar Info Center

FRAUNHOFER ISE: URBAN GRIDS READY FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF SOLAR ELECTRICITY

after a two-and-half-year duration.

Within the scope of the European research project PV-UPSCALE, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have compiled two reports that show how municipal electricity grids can accept large amounts of photovoltaic electricity. In addition, a working group of ten institutes from seven countries developed a comprehensive online portal for the integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in urban settlements and buildings, including a database with exemplary systems.

The bottom line of the project is: When photovoltaics contributes, as aspired by politics, an increasingly larger fraction to the electricity supply grid, the grids in the urban areas can accept the additional electricity. “Where there is a large load, there is room for large amounts of solar energy,” explains Laukamp. “In rural areas, there is still need for investigations.”

“The existing municipal electricity grids can also accept greatly expanding amounts of solar electricity,” says Hermann Laukamp from Fraunhofer ISE, project leader for the working group Grid Issues. “The capacity of the grid for decentralized feed-in can be appreciably increased through non-investment-related measures.” The project ended 30 June 2008

LARGE SOLAR PLANTS PLANNED IN CALIFORNIA California power utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced 14 August it has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts for a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy.

This significant commitment to photovoltaic technology will deliver cumulatively 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually.

This would be equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve approximately 239,000 residential homes each year. Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the project will deliver approximately 1.1 million megawatt-hours annually of renewable electricity. The project is expected to begin power delivery in 2011 and be fully operational by 2013.

PG&E entered into an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of OptiSolar Inc., for 550 MW of thin-film PV solar power.

“These landmark agreements signal the arrival of utility-scale PV solar power that may be costcompetitive with solar thermal and wind energy,” said Jack Keenan, chief operating officer and senior vice president for PG&E. “We will continue to explore such innovative technologies as we aggressively work to increase the amount of renewable energy we provide our customers.”

Utility-scale PV solar projects feature photovoltaic solar modules, which convert sunlight directly

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

into electricity and produce the greatest amounts of power during the afternoons, when electricity demand is high. Both projects are contingent upon the extension of the federal investment tax credit for renewable energy and processes to expedite transmission needs.

Over the past six years, PG&E has entered into contracts for more than 3,600 MW of renewable power, including solar contracts that total more than 2,500 MW. PG&E now has contractual commitments for more than 24% of its future power deliveries from renewables, including wind, biomass and geothermal.

The 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm project would utilise relatively low-cost, thin-film PV panels designed and manufactured by OptiSolar in Hayward and Sacramento, California.

In addition to the grid connection, the European researchers investigated building integrated photovoltaic systems with respect to urban planning aspects while another group concentrated on the economic aspects.

From 1 Jan. 2006 through 30 June 2008, the PV-UPSCALE project was sponsored by the Intelligent Energy - Europe Programme of the European Union. Project partners from Germany included the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the consulting company Ecofys, and the energy supplier MVV Energie AG. Other project partners were from Holland, Austria, France, Spain and Great Britain.

More information: http://www.pvupscale.org

could be enough to power more than 50,000 homes.

SDG&E will employ technology featuring photovoltaic panels that track the sun’s path throughout the day. As compared with typical commercial rooftop photovoltaic systems, the tracking technology will enable the photovoltaic panels to produce 65% more power during system peak energy demand and 40% more energy throughout the year. The utility will work with a variety of suppliers and installers on these projects.

More information: http://www.sunpowercorp.com

SunPower’s planned 250 MW solar ranch would be located in San Luis Obispo County’s California Valley, and will deliver an average of 550,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually.

The ranch would employ SunPower’s proprietary crystalline PV solar cells, which generate up to 50% percent more power than conventional crystalline cells.

Separately, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) recently announced plans for the largest solar power installation in San Diego, California, with an initial target of developing 70 to 80 megawatts of solar electricity, about two-thirds of which would be utility-owned and, the remainder, customeror third-party owned. Combined, the installations

Solar plants like this one in Bavaria, Germany, have taken photovoltaic technology from home rooftops to utility-sized projects. Source: SunPower

PAGE 4

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY NEWS

GROUND BROKEN ON FIRST U.S. SOLAR HIGHWAY

Governor Ted Kulongoski broke ground 7 August on the project, placing the first of 594 solar panels.

The first American highway will be lit by solar power by the end of 2008.

The Oregon project is the result of collaboration with Portland General Electric (PGE), US Bank and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the materials and installation will be provided

by Oregon companies.

Artist’s rendition of the ODOT Solar Highway installation courtesy of Advanced Energy Systems, Eugene.

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

The 104-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system— covering about 8,000 square feet and roughly the length of two football fields—will produce about 112,000 kilowatt hours a year, or 28% of the 400,000 kilowatt hours used to light the interchange. The $1.3 million project is expected to be completed and online in December 2008.

Electricity for the highway interchange is provided by PGE and the added solar power will be handled through a net metering arrangement.

The solar panels will produce electricity during the day, supplying power onto the PGE grid, and PGE will return an equivalent amount of power at night to light the interchange.

Electricity for the highway interchange is provided by PGE and the added solar power will be handled through a net metering arrangement.

The solar panels will produce electricity during the day, supplying power onto the PGE grid, and PGE will return an equivalent amount of power at night to light the interchange.

The project will be designed, constructed and installed by SolarWay, a “turn-key” solar energy engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) consortium consisting of four Oregon firms: Aadland Evans Constructors, Inc., of Portland as the general contractor; Moyano Leadership Group, Inc., of Salem as the project manager and design leader; Advanced Energy Systems of Eugene as the solar power specialty designer and installer, and Good Company of Eugene as the community and sustainability specialist.

SolarWorld AG of Hillsboro, OR, will supply the solar panels, and PV Powered, Inc. of Bend, OR, will supply the inverter.

More information: www.oregonsolarhighway.com

WORLDWIDE THIN FILM PRODUCTION FORECAST Degree of market diffusion

Source: EuPD Research 2008

mass production

100%

crystalline c-Si, mc-Si

crystalline c-Si, mc-Si

thin film a-µc-Si,CIS, CdTe

This schematic illustration from the thin film study shows the three PV technology groups: crystalline, thin film and organic PV. While the crystalline modules can be expected to rather stagnate in the future, the new technologies will contribute to the growing product differentiation.

crystalline c-Si, mc-Si

thin film a-µc-Si,CIS, CdTe thin film a-µc-Si,CIS, CdTe

0%

organic nanocrystalline

R&D

organic nanocrystalline

organic nanocrystalline

2007

2010

2015

Time

A new white paper from EuPD analyzes the projected growth of global thin film production. IPVEA members are eligible to a 10% discount on EuPD reports, which may be downloaded from http://www.eupd-research.com. For more information, contact Stephan Franz by e-mail at s.franz@eupd-research.com or telephone +49 228 97143 47.

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

PAGE 5

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

INDUSTRY EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 2008

OCTOBER 2008

NOVEMBER 2008

23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition

Photovoltaic Forum & Exhibition Taiwan 2008

Geo2

01 Sept - 05 Sept, 08, Valencia, Spain http://www.photovoltaic-conference.com/

IPVEA Member Meeting 4 Sept 08:30am - 09:30am Room 4F, Conference Center Centro De Eventos, Valencia, Spain

10th Newgrace China Solar Photovoltaics Conference and Exhibition 27 Sept - 30 Sept 2008, Changzhou, China http://www.chinasolarpv.com/

Copenmind 2008 - Cleantech 01 Sept - 03 Sept 2008, Copenhagen, Denmark http://www.copenmind.com/

Gleisdorf Solar 2008 03 Sept - 05 Sept 2008, Gleisdorf, Austria http://www.aee-intec.at/

Exhibition: Soltec 2008 04 Sept - 07 Sept 2008, Hameln, Germany http://www.soltec.de/

Conference: 10th Renewable Energy Finance Forum – London 15 Sept - 16 Sept 2008, London, England http://www.euromoneyenergy.com/

Conference & Exhibition: Solar Power Canada 2008 16 Sept - 18 Sept 2008, Toronto, Canada http://www.solarcanadaexpo.com

IFAT China 2008 23 Sept - 25 Sept 2008 Shanghai, China http://www.ifat-china.com/

PowerExpo+ 2008 24 Sept - 26 Sept 2008, Zaragoza, Spain http://www.feriazaragoza.com/

07 Oct - 08 Oct 2008, Taipei, Taiwan http://www.pvtaiwan.com

Conference & Exhibition: Solar Power 2008 13 Oct - 16 Oct 2008, San Diego, USA http://www.solarpowerconference.com/

PV Rome 2008 - 1st International Exhibition on Photovoltaic Technologies for the Mediterranean 01 Oct - 04 Oct 2008, Rome, Italy http://www.zeroemissionrome.eu/en

4th International Exhibition dedicated to the Carbon Credit Market 01 Oct - 04 Oct 2008, Rome, Italy http://www.zeroemissionrome.eu/en

Solar Energy Asia 2008 07 Oct - 10 Oct 2008, Grand Hyatt, Singapore http://www.terrapinn.com/2008/solar/

Eurosun 2008 07 Oct - 10 Oct 2008, Lisbon, Portugal http://eurosun2008.org/page/index.php

SEMICON Europa 07 Oct - 09 Oct 2008, Stuttgart, Germany http://semiconeuropa.semi.org/index.htm

Renewable Energy 2008 13 Oct - 17 Oct 2008, Busan, Korea http://www.re2008.org/

Lux Executive Summit 19 Oct - 21 Oct 2008, Cambridge, MA, USA http://www.luxexecutivesummit.com/Overvie

Power-Gen Asia 2008 21 Oct - 23 Oct 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia http://www.powergenasia.com

Glasstec 2008 21 Oct - 25 Oct 2008, Düsseldorf, Germany http://www.glasstec.de

Solar Summit Freiburg 2008 - Silicon Materials for Photovoltaics 22 Oct - 24 Oct 2008, Freiburg, Germany http://www.solarsummits.de/

04 Nov - 11 Nov 2008, Bilbao, Spain http://www.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com/

Casa Energia Expo 2008 07 Nov - 09 Nov 2008, Milan, Italy http://www.casaenergia.com/en/

EP China 2008/Electrical China 2008/ECEP China 2008 12 Nov - 14 Nov 2008, Beijing, China http://www.2456.com/JasperWeb/Shows/sid212/lang-eng/Details.aspx

IPVEA SPONSORED EVENT 9th Solarpraxis Forum

20 Nov - 21 Nov 2008 Hilton Hotel in Berlin http://www.solarpraxis.de/

Solar Technology – Politics, Market & Finance, Marketing & Sales The Forum Solarpraxis as an established interdisciplinary, co-operative congress, brings players from the solar technology industry into contact with the worlds of politics, finance and the press.

LATEST ISSUES Solarpraxis will once again offer talks covering the latest issues and practical experiences across all non-technical topics. Practical application of the themes together with concrete project implementation always takes the centre stage. Between talks, the Forum offers a multitude of opportunities for discussion in a relaxed atmosphere.

THE THEMES The Forum Solarpraxis will take all forms of solar energy capture as themes – photovoltaics, solarthermal energy, solar cooling, solar-thermal power plants and suppliers industry – with its focus resting on the political environment, market development, as well as marketing, suppliers and finance.

Energy ‘08 - Photovoltaic 2008 20 Nov - 23 Nov 2008, Athens, Greece http://www.leaderexpo.gr/en/node/212

Enertech 2008 20 Nov - 23 Nov 2008, Athens, Greece http://www.leaderexpo.gr/en/node/212

PVTech Milan 2008 - 5th International Exhibition on Photovoltaic Industry & Technologies (HTE) 25 Nov - 28 Nov 2008, Milan, Italy http://www.hitechexpo.eu/en/index_hte.asp Disclaimer: IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association uses its best efforts to ensure that all the information in this newsletter and on its website is kept up-to-date. Any warranty to the correctness and actuality cannot be assumed. IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association reserves the right to make changes or additions to the information made available at any time without notice. Copyright: The content of the IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association website is protected by copyright. No information, data, texts, parts of texts or images may be copied or used in any way without the prior permission of IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association.

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

PAGE 6

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

WHITE PAPER

Kwanghee Lee, PhD CV

Solar cell: First generation Image: EVILZ.net

Solar cell: 2nd generation Image: Got Solar

Solar cell: 3rd generation Image: NREL

Solar cell: First generation Image: EVILZ.net

SUN SCREENS: CAN ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS INVIGORATE KOREA’S DISPLAY AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY?

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

silicon solar cell and other energy-related enterprises, and even fibre and cloth-makers.

They all want to talk about collaboration in basic research or development of production processes.

Lee was Heeger’s student at UCSB. Heeger was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for his research.

Other leading research on third generation solar cells is being conducted by Serdar Sariciftci, The following article, authored by Sara of Johannes Kepler University, Linz, which has Ver-Bruggen, is excerpted with permission from focused on organic solar cell research, and Plastic Electronics, where she is editor in chief. professor Michael Grätzel, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, which EXECUTIVE SUMMARY is credited with developing dye sensitised solar A U.S.-Korean research partnership is on the cells (DSSC). verge of making prototype organic PV (OPV) cells The Optoelectronic Materials Research Centre, on plastic using roll-to-roll (R2R) equipment. part of the Korean Institute of Science & OPVs mark a big leap forward in solar cell Technology (KIST), in Seoul, and the School of technology. Their form tends to be thin, Electrical Engineering, Seoul National University, lightweight and flexible. Processed on polymer have also published OPV research too. substrates and encased in thin barriers, the cells look like rolls of plastic, a far cry from heavy rigid The Korean government’s interest in first silicon panels you see on roof tops. But, unlike generation PVs is encouraging as it is already first and second generation PVs, third generation laying the groundwork for a solar cell industry. solar cells do not use inorganic compounds, such Today Korea imports about 80% of its energy. as silicon or gallium arsenide. They can be made Investing in renewable technologies and from chemicals, processed into ink, coatings or infrastructure should help the country ease its paints and applied over areas large and small, reliance on oil, and the shortages and price hikes this dependency exposes it to. quickly and cost-effectively.

Based at the Gwangju Institute for Science The Korean Energy Management Corp. (Kemco) & Technology (GIST), in Korea, researcher is the government company in charge of Kwanghee Lee has been playing a significant role energy policy. By 2011, Kemco aims for new in designing OPVs that perform better, particularly and renewable power to contribute to 5% of in the development of a tandem cell structure, Korea’s total energy needs. Solar PVs are a which achieved efficiencies of 6.5% in 2007. Lee high priority area, alongside wind, hydro-power says the tandem cell architecture could approach and fuel cells. It has earmarked some $1.5 higher efficiencies, up to 15%, in principle, but billion for technological development, including R&D, demonstration research and performance more work on the polymers is needed. evaluation projects.

A defining aspect of the work, which sets it apart from other tandem cell research, is to make As part of its Solar-Roof 100,000 Project, the as many layers or components within the cells agency spent almost US$50 million (€35 million) from polymers and other solution-processable in subsidies to support the installation of 2,500 silicon PV panels on housing in 2006. The longmaterials. term goal will be to make Korea more energy “Two years ago we succeeded in developing independent, maintaining a climate that is ripe a metallic polyaniline with high conductivity for continued innovation in renewable energy and now we are using that polymer as a technologies. flexible and transparent electrode on top of the plastic substrate which will replace the more Plastic Electronics is the only printed magazine conventional indium tin,” Lee explains. His team covering business and marketing strategies for is already combining polymer light-emitting organic and printed electronics. The magazine diodes and OPVs as a single-unit device using is published six times a year by IntertechPira. To the tandem cell technology. “I believe it is the enquire about a subscription email strongest and most promising aspect of polymer julian.bradshaw@pira-international.com http://www.plusplasticelectronics.com/ electronics.”

Following the publication of a research paper on tandem cells last year, Lee and Professor Alan Heeger, of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), have fielded enquiries from organisations, many based in Korea, including research groups, semiconductor and IT firms,

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

PAGE 7

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

MEMBERS BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT: EMPLOYMENT DESTINATION

IPVEA MEMBER BENEFITS IN POSTING JOBS ON SOLARJOBS.COM As everyone knows, the photovoltaic industry is currently growing by leaps and bounds, thus requiring substantial staffing in all job categories.

As part of your membership in IPVEA, member companies are entitled to significant benefits when utilising the job-posting services of SolarJobs.com, the leading online employment website for all aspects of the solar energy industry.

• When quoting IPVEA to SolarJobs.com, all advertised vacancies will be upgraded from standard listing to enhanced listing (branded with the corporate colours/logo of the company).

• Orders of 11 or more vacancies from IPVEA will include a corporate micro-site for three months, free of charge.

• Orders of 100 or more vacancies will include a homepage banner feature for three months free of charge.

About a year ago, a consolidation in the optical disc manufacturing industry, coupled with increased attention on everything going green, sparked Reza Shaybani’s entrepreneurial instincts.

He responded with SolarJobs.com, which launched in October 2007.

Shaybani similarly found himself a talent recruiter in 2001 when he created Discjobs.com, the only

online recruitment company dedicated to the optical media industry, which he entered in 1994, originally selling equipment and technology to disc manufacturers.

“We needed technicians to install the equipment; so did other companies,” he explains, of how DiscJobs.com came about.

Shaybani also observed optical disc machinery suppliers diversifying into the photovoltaic industry, as was a maturing semiconductor market.

“I thought I could extend the business model into the solar industry,” he adds.

Like DiscJobs.com, SolarJobs.com matches globally qualified candidates with relevant career opportunities, implementing advanced and secure web development technology with NetResourcer TM, a recruitment management system that has been tailor made for the solar technology industry.

The system maintains a wealth of comprehensive and up-to-date information on our clients and candidates; with powerful search functions for every sector.

SolarJobs.com general manager Nicola Lathom has been part of the business’s development since the company launched and marvels how quickly the operation has grown over the past year, “We are now affiliated with many of the leading companies, events and associations.”

“The industry has doubled in size,” she says, citing government-sponsored initiatives, as spurring demand.

Vacancies are promptly posted and removed as positions are filled. The platform has been designed to put the employer in control of managing their vacancies. “Each company has an online account that they can access at any time, this ensures the vacancies are current and makes the website very dynamic,” says Lathom.

“The functionality is similar to Monster.com,” says Lathom, of the employment website. At any given time, 20 to 30 companies are advertising jobs on the site, including the leading photovoltaic equipment suppliers. Some companies advertise as many as 200 vacant positions. “That’s how fast this field is growing,” she adds, noting a lot of hiring interest lately has come from Europe, U.S. and Asia.

FORECAST: IT IS EXPECTED THAT PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY WILL BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE WORLD’S ENTIRE ENERGY GENERATION AFTER 2030 AND WILL SUPPLY 20-30% OF THE TOTAL ELECTRICAL ENERGY DEMAND IN 2050.

SOURCE: PLASTIC ELECTRONICS

NEW IPVEA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

3S SWISS SOLAR SYSTEMS AG 3S Swiss Solar Systems is the technological world market leader for manual and semiautomatic production lines for solar module manufacture. In cooperation with our partners, 3S Swiss Solar Systems offers turn-key fullyautomated production lines.

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

• • • • •

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Manufacturing Equipment Laminators Manufacturing Equipment Panel -Other Manufacturing Equipment Panel - Turnkey Manufacturing Equipment Testing Manufacturing Equipment Solar Simuators

3S Swiss Solar Systems AG Schachenweg 24 CH-3250 Lyss Tel. +41 (0)32 391 1111 Fax +41 (0)32 391 1112 Email: info (at) 3-s.ch www.3-s.ch

PAGE 8

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

GENERAL INFORMATION

IPVEA MEMBERS

CURRENT AT TIME OF PUBLICATION. UPDATED LIST IS ALWAYS ON HTTP://WWW.IPVEA.COM/ 3S Swiss Solar Systems, Switzerland

SEMILAB Semiconductor Physics Laboratory, Co., Ltd., Hungary

Anwell Precision Technology, China

Singulus Technologies, Germany

ASYS Automatisierungssysteme GmbH, Germany

Sixtron Advanced Materials Inc, Canada

Bekaert Advanced Coatings NV, Belgium

Solar Jobs, England

BTU International, Inc., United States

Soleras Ltd, United States

Bosch Rexroth, Germany

Solar Technology Center, UAE

Carl Baasel Lasertechnik GmbH & Co. Kg, Germany

Somont GmbH, Germany

Celerity, Inc., United States

Spire Solar, Inc., USA

Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG, Germany

STANGL Semiconductor Equipment AG, Germany

Centrotherm Cleaning Systems, Germany

SYNOVA S.A., Switzerland

Dr. Schenk GmbH Industriemesstechnik, Germany

Targray Technology International Inc., Canada

Diamond Technology, United States

TRUMPF Laser GmbH +Co. Kg, Germany

EBARA Precision Machinery Europe GmbH, Germany

Veeco Instruments GmbH, Germany

Ferrotec GmbH, Germany

VITRONIC Dr.-Ing. Stein Bildverarbeitungssysteme GmbH, Germany

Gfe Mettalle und Materialien, Germany

VON ARDENNE Anlagentechnik GmbH, Germany

Heateflex Corporation, United States

Visit the IPVEA website to see profiles and contact details of all member companies. http://www.ipvea.com/member-directory.html

ib vogt GmbH, Germany Innolas GmbH, Germany JENOPTIK Automatisierungstechnik GmbH, Germany Jonas & Redmann Photovoltaics Production Solutions GmbH, Germany Kitec microelectronic technologie GmbH, Germany Komax, United States KUKA Robot GmbH, Germany Kuka Systems GmbH, Germany LPKF SolarQuipment GmbH, Germany LSW Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Germany M+W Zander FE GmbH, Germany Manz Automation AG, Germany Meier Vakuumtechnik GmbH, Germany Meyer Burger AG, Switzerland Newport Spectra - Physics, United States OC Oerlikon Management AG, Switzerland Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH, Germany OTB Solar, Netherlands Pall GmbH, Germany Pasan SA, Switzerland Pure Air Systems, United States Reis GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik, Germany RENA Sondermaschinen GmbH, Germany Roth & Rau AG, Germany Schiller Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Germany

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

ABOUT US Founded in May 2008, the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) is an independent, non-profit organization of manufacturers and suppliers of photovoltaic (PV) fabrication equipment and related raw materials used in PV ingot, wafer, cell (crystalline and thin-film), and panel manufacturing. The association’s member companies represent the wide spectrum of equipment and materials including that related to crystal growth, diffusion furnaces, glavanics, laminators, laser systems, materials handling, metallization, printing, process integration, solar simulators, substrate handling, testing, vacuum systems, waste gas abatement, wet chemical systems, and related materials and professional services.

The overall mission of the association is to provide members with a forum for information, discussion and exchange of ideas, as well as ways to develop business opportunities and strategic partnerships.

The association is the unified voice of the manufacturing segment of the PV industry. As such, the association evaluates and recommends exhibitions, conferences, sales channels and methods of communications that can be effective for its member companies.

The association will pursue its long term-goals in a number of ways, including supporting events that provide the best opportunities for member companies with booth discounts and association branding/ sponsorship. Part of this will be to reduce the number of key trade shows for members in particular and the industry in general.

PAGE 9

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 1 - SEPT 2008

GENERAL INFORMATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY BOARD Mr. Peter Pauli, Meyer Burger Mr. Antonio Schmidt, Manz Automation Mr. Gopal Shankar, ib-vogt Mr. Ed Hurley, Spire Corp

President Hans-Juergen Stangl (Stangl Semiconductor)

Vice President Sven Jarby (Oerlikon)

CONTACT DETAILS Managing Director: Bryan Ekus ekus@IPVEA.com

Vice President Albert Vontz (Kuka Systems)

Secretary Andreas Schöni (3S Swiss Solar Systems)

Treasurer Steffen Guenther (Reis Robotics)

Board Member Stefan Schiller (Schiller Automation)

Board Member Manfred Schroeder (Ebara Precision Machinery)

Managing Director Bryan Ekus

EUROPE ADDRESS IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association P.O. Box 1610 D-63406 Hanau, Germany Mobile: +1 49 1577 682 7926 US ADDRESS IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association P.O. Box 771507 Orlando, Florida 32877, USA Tel: +1 407 856 9100 Fax: +1 407 856 9500 Mobile: +1 407 733 1901

COMMITTEES TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE (Proposed) Charter: To provide a balanced context on current and emerging technologies that impact members of the IPVEA and the marketplace. The Committee serves as a key resource for identification and assessment of future technology development that will have relevance.

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE (Proposed) Charter: Guide the broad scope of current IPVEA activities, including, but not limited to trade events, public relations, promotions, and educational endeavors.

STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS COMMITTEE (Proposed) Charter: Proposes the adoption of specifications and standards where none existed before and transmits the same with recommendations to the IPVEA community.

ANTITRUST STATEMENT

Participants in this association agree to be mindful of the constraints of antitrust laws. There shall be no discussions of agreements or concerted actions that may restrain competition. This prohibition includes the exchange of information concerning individual prices, rates, coverages, market practices, claims settlement practices, or any other competitive aspect of an individual company’s operation.

Be sure to sign up at http://www.ipvea.com for our e-mailed weekly solar industry news updates, and also send to ekus@ipvea.com the e-mail addresses of colleagues who would like to also receive the quarterly newsletter and weekly updates.

Disclaimer: IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association uses its best efforts to ensure that all the information in this newsletter and on its website is kept up-to-date. Any warranty to the correctness and actuality cannot be assumed. IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association reserves the right to make changes or additions to the information made available at any time without notice. Copyright: The content of the IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association website is protected by copyright. No information, data, texts, parts of texts or images may be copied or used in any way without the prior permission of IPVEA International Photovoltaic Equipment Association.

IPVEA NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 1 - SEPTEMBER 2008

PAGE 10