Features

Product Briefing Outline: Despatch Industries has introduced the ‘UltraFlex’ dryer and firing furnace with ‘Microzone’ Technology. This new tool is designed to provide next generation capabilities in performance, profile flexibility and reduced cost of ownership.

The German government met at the Environment Ministry in Berlin on January 13 to discuss cuts to the state-mandated solar incentives, including the feed-in tariff rate. These cuts have been anticipated for this year due to a steeper overall slide in costs. The FiT has been falling by about 8% per year before dropping 10% in 2010.

Product Briefing Outline: The Schmalz Wafer-Gripper SWG is applied in fully or partially automated production of highly sensitive wafers and solar cells with maximum process stability. A new handling concept provides minimum cycle times, precise positioning, reliable handling even of deformed and broken parts, breakage detection “on the fly” and controlled air discharge.

Product Briefing Outline: ACC Silicones, the European manufacturer of specialist silicone elastomers, launches its new PV range of products. These adhesives and encapsulants are compatible with most materials commonly used in the assembly of PV modules and concentrator (CPV) cells.

Product Briefing Outline: DuPont has introduced its new ‘Solamet’ PV412 photovoltaic (PV) metallization paste, the latest in a line of silver conductor materials specifically developed for thin film PV technologies. DuPont collaborated with Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (ASTI), a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, as it developed the new metallization paste.

Technology used in GE’s wind turbines, is now being applied to large-scale PV systems. Building on a platform of power electronics, monitoring and controls that enhance wind energy grid integration, GE has developed a 600 kW solar inverter, which includes grid-friendly features to deliver performance in large-scale solar installations similar to conventional power plants.

Product Briefing Outline: mbj-Solutions is focusing on the development of electroluminescence inspection systems for inline and offline use along the photovoltaic production process. The latest product of mbj-Solutions is an offline solar cell inspection system. The operator can place a solar cell inside a drawer. By closing the drawer the system applies automatically current and voltage to the solar cell and captures an EL image. The image is displayed on the windows user interface. The system allows the user to investigate the solar cell and to discover problems in the production process.

Product Briefing Outline: SolarEdge Technologies distributed DC power harvesting systems maximizes power generation of residential and large-scale PV sites by up to 25 percent, while reducing costs and complexities for panel manufactures, systems integrators, installers and owners.

The new German Government didn’t spend much time after the recent election to propose changes in the FiT program above and beyond the planned yearly declines. Then under pressure from the PV industry and certain states, politicians became more conciliatory to less than ‘aggressive’ changes, even though it was never made clear what the degree of changes would inevitably be. However, with the increasing belief of a growing number of industry observers and players, PV installations in the country are set for record levels, far beyond what the new Government would accept under ‘reasonable’ growth.