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.
Product Briefing Outline: Semilab SSM, a division of Semilab, has launched its newest member to the ‘NanoSRP’ family of metrology products. Designed for small and mid-tier sized semiconductor and solar cell manufacturers, the SRP Express 170 is a manual system that provides density and resistivity depth profiling using spreading resistance profiling technology (SRP).
Product Briefing Outline: Honeywell Electronic Materials has launched a new material called Honeywell SOLARC that improves the efficiency and power output of PV module. The new product is a transparent coating material that improves the light transmittance through the glass that covers the solar cells.
Product Briefing Outline: BASF and Schmid have together developed a new, contact-free laser transfer printing (LTP) process for metallizing the front and back of solar cells. At present, it is mainly the screen printing process that is used for metallization. The printer and paste system now developed by BASF and Schmid is based on a contact-free laser process and not only offers customers advantages with regard to handling, but also increases the efficiency of cell production.
The MegaSlate Solar roof system from 3S Swiss Solar Systems is a pioneering, architecturally aesthetic BIPV concept designed for new builds and roof retrofits.
On the surface (pun intended) there would seem to be of little interest or need to know more about the recent acquisition by Applied Materials of a small cap semiconductor equipment supplier, Semitool. The Montana-based wet processing specialist has been around for a long-time and perhaps because of where it is based, compared with many equipment suppliers clustered in Silicon Valley, it gets little attention in comparison. However, solar cell producers may well find that they get a knock on the cleanroom door soon from Applied, to discuss porous silicon processes and a wet processing tool called the ‘Raider.’
