Technical Papers

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Photovoltaics International Papers, PV Modules
Solar enterprises will each be faced with the occasional surplus or lack of solar modules in their lifetimes. In these instances, it is useful to adjust these stock levels at short notice, thus creating a spot market. Spot markets serve the short-term trade of different products, where the seller is able to permanently or temporarily offset surplus, while buyers are able to access attractive offers on surplus stocks and supplement existing supply arrangements as a last resort.
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Market Watch, Photovoltaics International Papers
One of the most important ways in which inorganic thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) and organic photovoltaics (OPV) can distinguish themselves from more conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaics (c-Si PV) in the marketplace is through the commercialization of flexible photovoltaic products using those technologies. But flexible photovoltaics brings with it some challenges of its own in terms of excluding air and moisture from the cells; challenges that translate into opportunities for suppliers of advanced encapsulation materials and systems as well as for TFPV and OPV firms.
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Fab & Facilities, Photovoltaics International Papers
This article provides an overview of the typical waste water treatment methods for crystalline silicon solar cell production. Firstly, a short description is provided of the main process steps of photovoltaic production and the types of waste water generated during these steps. Secondly, the typical waste water treatment methods of hydrogen fluoride (HF) precipitation and neutralization are presented. Furthermore, some options for the reuse of rinse water are discussed and several guidelines for the design of waste water treatment systems are given. Finally, the relative environmental impact of the waste water treatment compared to the emissions of the whole fab is presented using the life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.
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Materials, Photovoltaics International Papers
This paper discusses the wire sawing process and its impact on the wafer surface and subsurface. Surface damage is found to be the main determinant in wafer stability, while an outline of the sawing parameters that have a strong influence on the surface and subsurface damage is presented. The results indicate how it is possible to decrease the breakage rate of wafers and improve the homogeneity (e.g. TTV) of wafer surfaces. A further goal in the development of the wire sawing process is to successfully reduce material consumption. This can be achieved by sawing thinner wafers with thinner wires, which leads to a reduction of the kerf loss per produced silicon surface. The second option is to increase the material yield by decreasing the wafer breakage. It will be shown that silicon wafers with less and shorter cracks and smoother surfaces will give a higher yield, while proceeding to discuss some of the important factors that affect the microcrack formation.
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Photovoltaics International Papers, Power Generation
Recent industry analysis from NanoMarkets has suggested that although current business cases for PV are running out of steam, the building-integrated PV (BIPV) sector may be able to revive PV’s fortunes. The arrival of ‘true’ BIPV – not just flush-mounted BIPV panels, but PV-enabled glass, tiles, siding, etc. – renders possible new business cases that would otherwise simply not be an option with conventional PV. This paper puts forth a business analysis of the BIPV industry, providing case studies and data on the burgeoning sector.
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Materials, Photovoltaics International Papers
With more than 80% of PV module demand being satisfied by crystalline-based modules, the health of the silicon and wafer supply chain is of vital importance to the overall PV industry. This paper reviews the overall materials value chain from the manufacture of PV silicon to the wafer, prepared for manufacture of the cell. A glimpse is provided of the various market dynamics that exist in the supply chain, as well as the technology trends that influence or threaten the supply of wafers. Although the manufacturing routes are mature and well established, we also take a look at the possibility of novel and disruptive technologies altering the overall supply landscape.
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Market Watch, Photovoltaics International Papers
Germany and Italy are forecasted to drive solar demand to new highs in 2011, with rumours of installations up to 22GW on the cards for this year. The German and Italian markets, scheduled to peak in 2011 and 2012, respectively, face a potential problem in terms of where to sell their modules if these two countries cannot accommodate 10GW of installations per year. The emerging markets can solve part of this challenge and will deliver new opportunities to the solar industry. Some Asian, European and Middle Eastern regions will require up to of 6GW of solar-generated electricity, while the Americas, Africa and Australia are each projected to install approximately 1GW in 2014. This paper takes a look at the development of these emerging markets and provides a projection of likely installation figures up to 2015.
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Cell Processing, Photovoltaics International Papers
Laser-doped selective emitter (LDSE) technology, invented and patented by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), is presently generating considerable interest in the photovoltaics industry due to its low cost, high efficiency, and suitability for mass production. The excellent results achieved to date – as high as 19.7% on small area laboratory test devices [1], and 19.0% on industrial large-area 156mm wafers [2] – are attracting a similarly impressive array of commercial partners. Nearly 10 companies are at various stages of implementation of LDSE technology variants into production and pilot production. This paper takes a closer look at the potential for mass production of LDSE-based solar cells.
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Photovoltaics International Papers, Thin Film
As recently as a couple of years ago, solar panels based on thin-film manufacturing technology were being promoted as the low-cost alternative to crystalline silicon. Not only was it cheaper, but thin film also had a convincing roadmap which guaranteed this cost advantage for the foreseeable future. That was 2008, when persistently high polysilicon prices seemed inevitable as demand for solar electricity boomed. We now know that assumption to be false, and although we all knew polysilicon prices would fall eventually, no one predicted the speed and magnitude with which they crashed: in the space of several months, prices reached the point where any advantage associated with the lower materials costs of thin-film manufacturing were completely blown away.
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Photovoltaics International Papers, PV Modules
This article highlights an alternative method for increasing short-wavelength external quantum efficiency (EQE) and hence overall conversion efficiency of mc-Si PV modules via luminescent down-shifting (LDS), a technique originally proposed by Hovel et al. [1] in 1979. The potential for efficiency enhancement via LDS has been either predicted or measured for a wide range of PV technologies (see [2] for a review). However, in this article, we will highlight how LDS can be incorporated into the existing encapsulation layer, avoiding any modification to well-established solar cell manufacturing processes and thus offering the potential of a production-ready technology.

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