User talk:Mierlo/sandbox
Top Ten Manufacturers
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 1 | 1 |
| Sales (MW) | 427 | 324 |
| Country | Japan | |
| Technology | Multi-Crystalline |
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 2 | 4 |
| Sales (MW) | 165 | 76 |
| Country | Germany | Talheim |
| Technology | Mono & multi | Crystalline Si |
Produces the cells from silicon wafers that are made by others. Delivery of silicon is secured by long term contracts and minority investments in key suppliers. The company also has equity holdings in several other technologies, this diversifies their technical risk. This is arguably the best run solar cell company in the world, it certainly has grown faster than anyone else over the last seven years. Website inculdes a nice video on their manufacturing process.
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 3 | 2 |
| Sales (MW) | 142 | 105 |
| Country | Japan | Kyoto |
| Technology | Multi | Crystalline Si |
A start-up founded in 1959 venture by Dr. Kazuo Inamori and seven colleagues. Kyocera's founders shared a vision of creating a company dedicated to the successful manufacture and sale of innovative, high-quality products based on advanced materials and components. Kyocera's multi-crystalline silicon modules carry 25-year warranties.
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 4 | 7 |
| Sales (MW) | 125 | 68 |
| Country | California | Carson |
| Technology | Mono Crystalline + thin layer Amorphous | Si |
stablished 1976 - Carson, California
Working toward a better future for humankind, Solec creates products that convert the sun's energy into electric power.
Since 1967 Solec solar electric modules have been used worldwide in urban and remote locations. From major metropolitan areas to small villages, Solec's cost effective modules work dependably and efficiently.
In 1994, Solec combined forces with SANYO Electric, Japan. Both companies share a commitment to excellence and making strides toward improvements in the solar energy industry. These are exemplified by the numerous patents held by the companies and proprietary advances that have been made. Further, in our efforts to manufacture a superior product, Solec's modern equipment uses high quality materials.
Solec was a pioneer in developing major improvements in crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) technology. Today nearly all high-power PV applications utilize crystalline silicon single crystal cells and photovoltaic modules.
In 1997, SANYO introduced a product called HIT Power 21™ (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer). This 21st century hybrid product combines the single crystalline cell with amorphous silicon. The result has been astounding. The HIT™ cells have the capability of achieving an incredible 20% efficiency rating.
At Solec, we continue to find ways to harness the energy of sun to provide alternative energy. Our goal is to preserve our environment by bringing the sun down to earth.
SANYO Solar USA, LLC. 970 East 236 St. Carson, California 90745 Phone: 310-834-5800 Fax: 310-834-0728
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 5 | 4 |
| Sales (MW) | 100 | 75 |
| Country | Japan | Tokyo |
| Technology | Multi Crystalline Si | Amorphous thin film |
Multicrystalline silicon, by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Monocrystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon thin film by Mitsubitshi Electric Corporation
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 6 | 8 |
| Sales (MW) | 95 | 63 |
| Country | Germany | Alzenau |
| Technology | Semi-crystalline Si Ribbon | Amorphous thin film |
Semi-crystalline silicon Ribbon and Amorphous Thin Film in Germany
Thin-film Technology Thin-film technology involves fixing an active semiconductor film on to the carrier medium (substrate). The natural semiconductor silicon is the most suitable for thin-film technology. Amorphous silicon has no crystalline structure and so can be vaporized in ultra thin films on glass, for example.
The SCHOTT Solar ASI material (ASI stands for amorphous silicon) has a thickness of less than 1 micrometer. This means that only approximately one gram of semiconductor per square meter of substrate is needed to coat a pane of glass. SCHOTT Solar ASI® glass is manufactured at Putzbrunn near München. Here, amorphous silicon is deposited on glass panels. For this, plasma is created in a high-vacuum reactor and from this silicon can be deposited on the surface of the glass. A fine laser is used to structure the silicon in such a way as to produce a large number of tiny solar cells. Transparent conductor pathways conduct electrons to the module’s cables. Several modules are connected in series and linked to the inverter. The direct current produced is converted here into 60 Hertz 220 volt alternating current and fed into the power grid.
Crystalline Technology In crystalline solar technology, the roughly 0.3 mm thick wafers made of the semiconductor material silicon are further processed to ensure that sunlight hitting them can be converted directly into solar power (solar cell). To make this power accessible for use, a number of these solar cells are series-connected to make up what is known as series strings. The solar cells connected in series in this way need to be protected for many years from the effects of the weather. This is why they are ‘packaged’ together in modules. On the sunward side the cells are protected by a highly transparent solar glass pane, whereas the underside takes the form of an insulating film or - as in ASE-300-DG modules, a second pane of glass. A connection socket picks up the direct current generated. Several modules are connected together via cables, which link them to the inverter. The direct current produced is converted here into 60 Hertz 220 volt alternating current and then fed into the power grid.
SCHOTT Solar uses a patented process for manufacturing the wafers known as the EFG process. This process differs from the conventional method in that the thin silicon wafers are not sawn by wire saws from a block but are drawn directly as silicon film from a silicon furnace. To ensure process stability, the silicon film is produced in the form of an octagonal hollow pipe. In the EFG process, the silicon film already has the required thickness of roughly 0.3 mm. The last step in the process is to separate the wafers from the surface shell of this hollow pipe using a laser.
Since the wire is about as thick as the wafer itself the conventional wire sawing process leads to material losses of up to 50%. In the EFG process, however, only about 10% of the silicon material is cut away, and some of this can be recycled. This makes EFG considerably lighter on resource use and more efficient than other processes.
2005: Takeover by SCHOTT AG, Mainz; production capacity is expanded to 130MW
2004: SmartSolarFab® is extended to 100 MW; 40 MW module production unit is set up in the Czech Republic.
2002: The RWE SCHOTT Solar joint ventures is established along with RWE Space Solar Power GmbH. Production starts at the Smart-SolarFab® facility in Alzenau.
1994: DASA and NUKEM set up Angewandte Solarenergie – ASE GmbH. ASE Americas Inc. is established.
1988: Creation of Phototronics Solartechnik (PST).
1980: Development work on thinlayer solar cells by MBB (a-Si).
1979: Development of a thin-layer compound semiconductor by NUKEM (Cu2S/CdS).
1973: Mobil Tyco Solar Energy develops the EFG solar cell.
1964: Basic development by AEG of silicon solar cells for terrestrial applications. Production starts in Heilbronn a year later.
1958: AEG starts to develop photovoltaic systems for space travel.
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 7 | 3 |
| Sales (MW) | 86 | 85 |
| Country | Maryland | Frederick |
| Technology | Mono & Multi | Crystaline si |
Both Mono and Multichrystalline located in Frederick, Maryland
BP Solar has four major manufacturing plants in Spain (Madrid), Australia (Sydney), USA (Frederick) and India (Bangalore). With currently more than 90 MW of capacity it is our aim to more than double our current production capacity to 200MW by the end of 2006. BP Solar USA is the nation's largest fully-integrated solar power plant
BP Solar has approximately 550 employees at its Frederick headquarters, said spokeswoman Sarah Howell. In November, the company announced a 140,000-square-foot, $70 million expansion project that is expected to add 70 new jobs in the area, she said, and double the plant’s manufacturing capacity.
BP Solar's high performance MultiCrystalline product line includes our most popular BP 3160, SX 170 and BP 175 products. All our MultiCrystalline products feature our advanced silicon nitride MultiCrystalline cell technology
In its latest move, the company has developed a solar module--a collection of solar cells--using a new silicon-manufacturing approach that the company says drives down the cost of generating solar power. The new technology boosts power production 8 percent without a price increase, the company says. BP Solar will begin production of these modules by mid 2007.
Lee Edwards: Over the next 10 years, BP Solar believes that a silicon-based cell technology will continue to drive cost efficiency. This announcement of the Mono2 approach to creating the silicon wafer was driven by an acknowledgement of the two different types of silicon available: monocrystalline and multicrystalline. Monocrystalline silicon makes for high efficiency, but it's relatively expensive, and the solar-power industry competes with the microprocessor industry for this type of silicon. Multicrystalline is cheaper, but it is lower quality. Mono2, broadly speaking, gives the same electrical-efficiency benefits as monocrystalline wafers but uses a multicrystalline casting approach that is less expensive.
LE: In the traditional multicrystalline manufacturing, you basically put a bunch of rocks in a ceramic crucible, heat it to 1,500 degrees C, let it sit there for a day, and cool it slowly. You get a block of silicon, but the crystal structure is random. Some people say it's more visually appealing because of the way light reflects off it, but each one of those grain boundaries creates a barrier to electron flow. The beauty of our technique is that we've found, in our protected intellectual property, a way to essentially get a single crystal using another approach. The details are proprietary, but it's a combination of metallurgy and the process that allows us to do it. When we say "efficiency," there are two components to it. There are some who love to advertise their cell-conversion efficiency, so you'll see 19 or 20 percent efficiency quoted. That is the amount of sunlight that hits the surface that is converted to electricity. When we talk about efficiency within BP Solar, it is the dollar-per-watt cost to convert sunlight into electricity. The Mono2 module can produce 8 percent more power for the same price as a module made from multicrystalline silicon modules on the market today. This decreases the price per watt.
TR: What other ways are you trying to squeeze extra watts from silicon?
LE: We've got two approaches within BP Solar to do that. One involves grooving the wafer itself with precision lasers that increase the surface area, allowing more sunlight to be converted to electricity. And the other is printing material on the front and the back to create electrical contacts that pull out the electricity without blocking too much sunlight in the process. There are some innovations in the value chain that we're on the front edge of, including how you access your customer. In the U.S. we are selling products in more than 250 Home Depots, in California, New Jersey, and New York. Having in-store solar-sales capability basically simplifies the value chain so you don't have BP Solar selling to a group that sells to another group that goes out and markets the product. There's only the installer in between, and we endorse their capabilities. Another aspect that we're looking at is how you actually construct a frame [for a solar module]. Rather than using extruded aluminum framing, we're looking at a cast polyurethane mold. It's stronger, it's lighter, it's easier to install, and it looks cool. And if you were really into the architecture, you could have different colors, different types of arrays. [Aesthetics] is a big barrier for going mainstream within solar because people don't want to feel like they've got a bunch of screen doors screwed into their roofs. And then the ultimate is if you make the solar as part of the roof, so you bring together building materials with the photovoltaic industry and say, Let's build a new roofing material that's pre-wired for new construction.
At the moment, the solar industry is struggling with a shortage of silicone, the primary raw material to make most of the solar panels in the world.
There's plenty of sand so in the long run it won't be a problem. In the short run, it's the equipment to purify the silicone to 99.59 purity or better. And so in time new capacity will be built and we'll get beyond the shortage, but in the short term, there is not sufficient capacity to meet the growing demand. So what we're doing is working on new techniques to use the silicone we can in a more efficient, more productive way. So as an example: technology to get thinner wafers in the overall construction of a cell. We're now looking at 200 microns and lower where two years ago it was 300 microns and higher. So that's a 30% improvement.
We're also looking at using different grades of silicone at lower costs to apply to solar panels that really has a great breakthrough opportunity. So we've got some now announced technology called Mono Squared, which essentially creates a monocrystal in a solar silicone wafer in a process very similar to multicrystalling, which is lower in cost and faster. And that again will create somewhere between 6% and 8% improvement in cell efficiency relative to what we've had before. So there are a number of steps in the value chain. We not only do our own research but we do a lot of collaboration with universities. So in addition to things with the University of New South Wales, we've just announced a large program at Caltech in the United States to pursue nanotube solar installations, which won't be commercialised tomorrow, but in 2010 to 2020 has a much greater opportunity to come up with yet again, another step improvement in cost and efficiency. Nate Lewis is heading up our Cal Tech program.
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 8 | 10 |
| Sales (MW) | 82 | 35 |
| Country | China | new District Wuxi |
| Technology | Multi | crystalline Si |
Makes both Mono and Multi Crystaline cells in China.
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. specializes in the design, development, manufacturing and sale of photovoltaic (PV) cells, modules and systems. Founded in January of 2001 by Dr. Zhengrong Shi, a distinguished PV technology scientist, Suntech has rapidly developed into a leading solar energy company. In less than three years since it commenced its business operations in May 2002, Suntech has increased its manufacturing capacity by 12 times.
Selling its products in almost every major market in the world, Suntech is among the new breed of successful domestic China-based companies with global ambitions.
Today, Suntech's PV systems are used in a wide range of applications, including communications and broadcasting, transportation, housing, and military.
As the financial and environmental cost of relying on traditional fossil fuels continues to rise, Suntech is leading the field in developing a renewable energy source that is not only abundant, but affordable.
Suntech is committed to become the "lowest cost per watt" provider of PV solutions to customers worldwide. By focusing on technical leadership through leading R&D and a culture based on innovation, cooperation and integrity, Suntech is working daily to realize its vision to be a global energy leader, providing efficient solar solutions for a green future.
Makes both Mono and Multi Crystaline cells
Head Office: 17-6 Changjiang South Road, New District, Wuxi Jiangsu Province 214028, People's Republic of China
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 9 | 10 |
| Sales (MW) | 60 | 35 |
| Country | Taiwan | Hsin-Shi |
| Technology | Multi | crystalline Si |
multi- and mono-crystalline silicon solar cells in Taiwan. Dimension of 125-mm x 125-mm and 156-mm x 156-mm. The average production solar cell efficiencies are higher than 15.5% and 16.5% for multi- and mono-crystalline silicon solar cells, respectively.
Motech Solar plans to further expand its production capacity to 120 MWp/year by the end of 2005. Motech Solar also started a pilot production line for wafer slicing to reduce cost and increase the supply of silicon wafers. Motech Solar plans to begin the construction of its second factory building at the South Taiwan Science Park for future expansions in solar wafer and cell manufacturing.
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Rank | 10 | 6 |
| Sales (MW) | 59 | 72 |
| Country | California | Camarillo |
| Technology | copper indium diselenide | thin film |
Shell and Saint-Gobain form joint venture to develop next generation solar panel production 27/11/2006 The companies announce their joint venture to begin solar power panel manufacturing based on advanced CIS technology.
CIS Thin-Film Technology Advanced CIS (Copper indium diselenide) thin-film technology could provide a real cost breakthrough for solar power. The production process is less complicated, with limited chance of breakage and no usage of expensive silicon. The CIS metal solutions are sprayed onto a glass sheet in layers, comparable with the way coated windows are made, eliminating the need for complex wiring and assembly.
CIS modules are particularly well suited for urban areas. Their smooth black appearance makes them suitable for building integrated applications. Moreover, the technology has excellent performance under low-light conditions e.g. shade.
Shell Solar has played a major role in the development of first-generation CIS technology and has been successfully producing and marketing its products. Shell and Saint-Gobain Glass Deutschland have announced their joint venture, Avancis, to begin solar power panel manufacturing based on advanced CIS technology.
The initial annual capacity of the plant will be 20 MW and is likely to commence in 2008. When built, the plant will manufacture solar panels, which when installed would power an equivalent of around 6,000 European households additional per year with clean energy. Generating the same amount of electricity from a coal-fired power plant would release about 14,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. For more information on Avancis, please visit: http://www.avancis.de/company.html
Silicon Solar activities Shell Solar’s silicon activities have been divested to SolarWorld. Customers with queries about their crystalline Shell Solar modules can contact SolarWorld via telephone on +49 228 559 200.
For sales and technical information about crystalline solar modules in general, please visit the SolarWorld Site: www.solarworld.de
CIS Thin-Film Technology Shell and Saint-Gobain Glass Deutschland, have announced their joint venture, Avancis, to begin solar power panel manufacturing based on advanced CIS technology. The initial annual capacity of the plant will be 20 MW and is likely to commence in 2008. The contact details of Avancis are:
AVANCIS GmbH Otto-Hahn-Ring 6 81739 München, Germany tel: +49 (0)89 219620-511 fax: +49 (0)89 219620-501
http://www.avancis.de/company.html
AVANCIS is the joint venture between Shell and Saint-Gobain, which will develop, produce and market solar power modules based on advanced CIS technology. CIS modules contain very thin layers of copper, indium and selenium to convert sunlight directly into electricity.
AVANCIS combines Shell CIS technology expertise, aided by eight years of commercial manufacturing at the Camarillo plant in California, with Saint-Gobain’s global and in-depth knowledge in glass processing and production of building materials.
The first AVANCIS module production facility will be located at Torgau, Germany. The annual capacity of the plant will initially be 20 MWp, with a scope for rapid expansion. The production process is based on the industry leading 2nd generation CIS technology as developed at the AVANCIS R&D centre in Munich, Germany.
AVANCIS CIS modules will be available from 2008 onwards. The modules, with their naturally uniform "tinted" black look, offer superior aesthetics and are designed to maximise light to electricity conversion, including at low light, shades and clouds.
2006: Shell and Saint-Gobain form joint venture "AVANCIS " to develop next generation CIS production
Introduction of first commercially available CIS product with full IEC 61646 and TÜV Safety Class 2 (1000 V) certification
2005: Achievement of a record 13.5% light to electricity conversion efficiency on a 30 x 30 cm2 CIS module , independently verified by the TUV Rhineland Group in Cologne, Germany
2003: Achievement of a world record efficiency on large area CIS module: 13.1 % on 0.5 sqm (certified by TUV).
Installation of world's largest CIS rooftop array on the production facilities in Camarillo, California (245 kWp)
2002: Shell Solar acquires Siemens Solar : Technology Development Programs of Siemens AG, Siemens Solar and Shell merged
1998: Start of commercial CIS production in Camarillo, California
1991: Siemens AG starts research program on next generation CIS
1990: Siemens Solar acquires ARCO Solar
1981: ARCO Solar starts initial R&D on CIS
| 2006 | 2005 | |
| Rank | 10 | ? |
| Sales (MW) | ? | ? |
| Country | Germany | Bonn |
| Technology | multicrystalline | SI |
The company operates production facilities in Germany, Sweden and the USA. Against the backdrop of profit growth by 150 per cent to 130 million € and of sales growth by 45 per cent to 515 million € in 2006.
In Hillsboro in the US federal state of Oregon SolarWorld AG is beginning to establish an integrated solar silicon wafer and solar cell production which will reach a capacity of 500 MW until the year 2009 thus at the same time building the largest solar factory on the American continent. At a price of only 30 million EUR the solar technology group succeeded in taking over the silicon wafer production of the Japanese Komatsu Group which had invested some 600 million EUR at the Hillsboro location – in the immediate vicinity of the world’s largest factory of the chip manufacturer Intel – but had never gone into production with the new facility due to a weak demand situation in the chip industry.
German subsidiary of SolarWorld 160 Mega Watt production capacity. Multi and mono crystalline cells.
Other Manufacturers
North America
New Mexic0 The multicrystalline cells are protected by sheets of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) then laminated between weatherproof multi-layer back film and high-impact resistant tempered glass. Lean Manufacturing
Waterloo Ontario Canada The PV Technology operation is developing a high-efficiency (18%+) thin-film on silicon wafer heterojunction photovoltaic (PV) solar cell based on current proprietary patented process technology with plans to commence shipping to PV module makers in 2008. The Company’s shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol APV and on the Frankfurt Open Market Exchange under the symbol A3T. Valued at 30 million dollars with less than a million dollars in both annual sales and total assetts.
Development of a thin-film CdTe based solar electric module in NY, might be bust.
CYRIUM Technologies Incorporated, 1200 Montreal Road M50-IPF206, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0R6 High efficiency solar cells still under development.
Canadian Module maker in British Columbia concentrator technology
Multi-Junction photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and panels from Albuquerque New Mexico. Aimed at the satillite market.
Princeton New Jersey. Amorphous SI thin film of 5-6% efficiency. Looks like they are struggling.
Malboro Massachusetts - String ribbon Si producer of multi crystalline cells. Has 60 MW joint venture with Q cell in Thalheim Germany. Plans to grow in 300 MW by 2010.
(866) 750-3150 or (302) 451-7500 231 Lake Drive Newark, Delaware 19702
Ewing New Jersey, Organic, small-molecular photovoltaic technology product still indevelopment
Albuquerque, New Mexico very small R&D firm specializing in nano and micro structures.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada Module manufacturer
Santa Clara California - Early stage company trying to make a product using silicon nanocrystalline ink.
Lowell Massachusetts. Nano-enabled polymer photovoltaic materials that are lightweight, flexible and more versatile than traditional solar materials.
Issaquah, WA 98027 JX Crystals is a spin-off from the Boeing Company with licenses for key patents on IR sensitive Gallium Antimonide photovoltaic cells. XC has an international patent position on a novel, low cost Solar PV module design and has started manufacturing product in China for 500 kW projects with low cost metal mirrors. JXC is also doing R&D on 40% efficiency solar cells and systems, including a new cassegrainian concentrator concept with distinct advantages for 4 junction PV stacks.
Palo Alto, CA One potential product is a new type of solar cell that performs like a traditional solar cell, but can be configured like a light weight, flexible plastic. In particular, this technology has the potential to provide low cost solar power through currently available, high volume and inexpensive manufacturing techniques based on conventional film based processes such as roll to roll manufacturing. To develop our nanotechnology-enabled solar cells we are collaborating with several United States government agencies.
Sylmar, CA Spectrolab, the world's leading manufacturer of space solar cells and panels.
ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Photowatt Technologies Inc., has signed a non-binding letter of intent to enter into a business relationship with Clean Venture 21 Corporation ("CV21") of Kyoto, Japan and Fujipream Corporation ("Fujipream") of Hyogo, Japan, in order to advance the development of its Spheral Solar™ Technology.
Menlo Park, CA The Materials & Processes group is involved in many aspects of the solar cell industry: Production of materials for solar cells (e.g., silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide) Development of diffusion, metallization and passivation technologies Technoeconomic analyses of the production of solar cells and modules for plant yield improvement Consulting for large corporations seeking to acquire solar cell producers.
Lowell Massachusetts, concentrator technology
San Jose California also a large plant in Laguna, Philippines Combined planned capacity is 300 MegaWatt. SunPower's A-300 solar cell is unique because the metal contacts needed to collect and conduct electricity are on the back surface – away from the sunlight. This design eliminates reflective metal contacts on the front of the solar cell, improving our solar cell performance and creating a uniformly black appearance with more than 20% efficiency.
Iowa, Thin film Amorphous silicon
Phoenix, Arizona A lab dabbling in Photovoltaics
Auburn Hills, MI Thin film triple junction
Europe
Prenzlau Germany Gewerbegebiet Nord 17291 Prenzlau Multi Crystalline Si Module maker
Aleo solar AG has signed a contract package with Q-Cells AG, doubling the delivery volume of solar cells under two existing contracts. Only a few days ago, aleo solar announced the conclusion of a supply contract with Q-Cells for its Spanish manufacturing subsidiary in Barcelona. All in all, aleo solar has now signed medium- and long-term contracts with a total of three prominent suppliers. The total volume of contractually secured solar cells for the next 10 years amounts to well over 600 MWp. Jakobus Smit, CEO of aleo solar AG, explained "Reliable cell supplies are a strategic necessity that we have achieved with this long-term contract. Aleo solar AG [ISIN: DE000A0JM634] has announced revenue of approximately EUR 130.4 million for fiscal year 2006.
Heimsheim Germany - Multi crystalline Si cells 15% efficiency
German Integrator supplied by the module manufacturer Ubbink Solar Modules B.V.
CSG modules are produced using the patented CSG ( Crystalline Silicon on Glass, deposited as a vapor) technology in CSG Solar’s new, high-tech facility in Thalheim, Germany.
Website looks inept. Danish integration consulting company?
Germany Erfurt - fully integrated mono crystalline silicon manufacturer.
Frankfurt Germany, CdTe thin film moving from 25 to 75 MW production capacity.
Czech Republic Multicrystaline Si cells
Yverdon-les-Bains Switzerland Very-High-Frequency plasma technology that deposits thin layers of amorphous silicon onto plastic substrates giving a thin flexible solar module.
Small company in Lens France, mostly a distributer?
Carmignano di Brenta (PD) - Italy, European module maker
Isofoton is a Spanish company, the biggest solar photovoltaic manufacturer in Europe. They have recently taken some very big steps toward integrating themselves into the North American market.
Isofoton is committed to producing mono crystalline cells, and they are the largest producer of this type of solar cell worldwide. Mono crystalline is the most efficient (and also the most expensive) solar cell-- the original solar cell.
The Spanish Solar Company Isofoton is the eighth largest PV manufacturer in the world. Begun in Malaga, Spain, in 1981, Isofoton was originally a project of Antonio Luque, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Like many other leaders in solar manufacturing, it has experienced very strong growth in the last decade. Isofoton's new facility in Malaga (to be completed in 2005) will increase its capacity form 65mW to over 100mW.
Ukraine Manufacturer monocrystalline silicon solar cells 8 MW per year.
Photovoltech NV-SA Business type: manufacturer Product types: Photovoltaic cells & modules.. Address: Industrial area West-Grijpen Grijpenlaan 18, Tienen, Belgium 3300
BOURGOIN-JALLIEU France Photowatt is vertically integrated, producing ingots from silicon to make plates, cells and multicrystalline modules. Backed by 25 years of experience With over 350 employees on the Bourgoin-Jallieu site near Lyon, France, and a capacity of 25 MWatts
REC Solar manufactures solar cells at its plant in Narvik (Norway) and solar modules at its facility in Glava (Sweden). In addition, the division is engaged in a small scale operation of installing solar home systems in South Africa. In 2005 REC also acquired ASiMI from Komatsu Ltd. REC and operates the ASiMI plant in Butte, Montana. REC Silicon has approximately 500 employees
Multicrystalline Si SCHOTT Solar uses a patented process for manufacturing the wafers known as the EFG process. This process differs from the conventional method in that the thin silicon wafers are not sawn by wire saws from a block but are drawn directly as silicon film from a silicon furnace. To ensure process stability, the silicon film is produced in the form of an octagonal hollow pipe. In the EFG process, the silicon film already has the required thickness of roughly 0.3 mm. The last step in the process is to separate the wafers from the surface shell of this hollow pipe using a laser. 2005: Takeover by SCHOTT AG, Mainz; production capacity is expanded to 130MW
Alzenau- Germany
Freiburg, Germany Public company 50 Mw production capacity 50 million Euro annual sales.
Dresden Germany
Phone: + 49 351 88 95 - 0 e-mail: info@solarwatt.de
1993, SOLARWATT has been a continuously growing, successful company which focus es on the DEVELOPMENT and MANUFACTURE of solar modules made of crystalline silicon cells in lamination technology.
SOLON Nord GmbH Siemensallee 1 D-17489 Greifswald Germany
SOLON Photovoltaik GmbH Ederstraße 16 D-12059 Berlin Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 /81 87 9-100 e-mail: solon@solon-pv.com Internet: www.solon-pv.com
The SOLON AG was founded in 1997 and, upon going public in 1998, was the first quoted solar enterprise in Germany.
SOLON is one of the leading producers of photovoltaic modules in Germany and a specialist for the integration of photovoltaic technology into buildings. About 70% of the photovoltaic plants
Chiasso Switzerland Mono crystalline modules and cells, mostly concentrated on the Italian market.
Konstanz Germany , public company Mono- and multicrystalline Solar Cells and modules
Asia & Austrialia
Technology and Production Enterprise of the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.
Taiwan Mono-crystalline solar cells with AR coating and in-line PECVD. Production capacity is 58 MW in 2005, 100MW by middle of 2006. 200MW in 2007 planned.
Korean module maker. Produces over a hundered different module types including a 'Car Sunroof Solar Module' and a 'Crystal Solar Road Block'.
Taiwan, Module maker
Sorting solar cells into performance groups (current groups at load voltage).
Assembling and soldering strings of cells interconnected with metal ribbons.
Completing the module circuit by soldering bus ribbons to connect the strings together and provide output leads .
Visually inspecting and electrically testing the module circuit by measuring its dark I-V characteristics .
Washing, rinsing, and drying the glass superstrate .
Cutting the EVA, fiberglass, and back cover to length and assembling them with the glass and module circuit.
Laminating the module assembly and curing the EVA.
Proceeding through final assembly, including edge trimming, installing an edge gasket and frame, and attaching a junction box .
Performing a high voltage isolation test to guarantee voltage isolation between the cell circuit and the module frame .
Electrically testing the module performance by measuring a current-voltage curve under simulated sunlight.
Osaka, Japan Thin film Amorphous-Si
New Delhi India Maharishi Solar Technology has production facilities at Mruthyunjaya Puram, Andhra Pradesh, India. It manufactures a wide range of photovoltic products such as wafer, multicrystalline/ monocrystalline cells, modules, solar lantern, solar home lighting, solar street lights, solar fan, solar desert coolers, solar water pumps, solar power plants, and customized solar energy systems of various designs.
- Microsol Power
Andhra Pradesh India Product types: photovoltaic ( solar) cells monocrystalline 125 mm pseudo square,150 mm pseudo square,150 mm round,upto 15.5% efficiency photovoltaic(solar) modules ,2.5 watt to 115 watt. special solar cells( 150mm) for garden light manufacturers. solar mini modules for 0.3 watt to 2.0 watt range.. Address: Plot No; 15 A Phase 4 Extn Ida Jeedimetla, Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India 500055
Regency Park, South Australia SLIVER® is a new and revolutionary monocrystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) technology which offers up to 90% silicon savings.Origin Energy Solar is now making pre-production SLIVER modules at its A$20M pilot plant in Regency Park, South Australia.
Sydney Australia Crystalline Silicon on Glass (CSG) aptly describes the photovoltaic technology developed by Pacific Solar that is now being commercialised by CSG Solar. A very thin layer of silicon, less than two micrometres thick, is deposited directly onto a glass sheet whose surface has been roughened by applying a layer of tiny glass beads.In June 2004, Pacific Solar sold its physical assets and worldwide rights relating to the CSG technology to a new German company, CSG Solar AG, which was formed with financial backing from a consortium of European investors. CSG Solar AG formed an Australian subsidiary, CSG Solar Pty Limited, which continues to operate the pilot-line facility built in Sydney by Pacific Solar.
Shanghai China, Mono-erystalline and multi-erystaline solar modules
Hawthorn Victoria Australia Tracking concentrator dishes with photovoltaic cells
Queanbeyan NSW Australia Doing research to develop third generation PV
Concentrator Technologies
Amonix Incorporated 3425 Fujita Street Torrance, California 90505 310.325.8091 p Cool concentrator technology, claim they have generated 4000 Megawatts kWh since they started.
Concentrator company, start-up in Washington state, cool product limited customers.
Salem Utah - Concentrator Technology IAUS's unique thin-film lens focuses the sun's energy, producing super-heated steam for power generation.
CIGS manufacturers
Aleo AG (http://www.aleo-solar.com)
DayStar core competencies reside in concentrator technology, CIGS solar cell design and commodity manufacturing processes based in New York
Tucson, Arizona. Major producer of thin-film photovoltaic CIGS solar cells German module manufacturer [www.solonag.com SOLON AG] acquired a 19% stake in Global Solar Energy Inc, the remaining 81% is owned by a European venture capital investor. Nice write-up on different solar cell technologies.
Austin, Texas, CRADA with NREL, CIGS Thin-Film Photovoltaics, partnership with ExcelTech a manufacturing technology company, Founded in 2001 still developing. Nice website with some of their original business plan justifications.
Honda Motor Company (http://world.honda.com)
Japanese Building a 30 MegaWatt plant for CIGSsolar cells planned to come on line in 2007.The cells will be sold by Soltec. Honda joins the growing field of manufactures of CIGS solar cells that includes Q-Cells, Daystar, Global Solar, HelioVolt, Konarka, Miasole, and Nanosolar.
Chatsworth, CA - Small company trying to make a product with CIGS technology
Santa Clara, CA Website is partially broken, not clear wat the state of their technology is. Claim they make square miles of product which they sell to module makers.
Palo Alto California
1/2007: Nanosolar secures 647,000 sqft of space.
8/2006: Nanosolar, Conergy sign cooperation agreement.
6/2006: Nanosolar raises $100,000,000; builds factory.
2/2006: Rigorous suite of initial durability tests successful.
1/2005: IBM's top manufacturing executive joins Nanosolar.
6/2002: Google founders invest in Nanosolar.
CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide), Nanosolar has developed major innovations in the following areas
1)Nanostructured components, 2)Printable semiconductor 3)Printable electrode 4)Rapid thermal processing 5)Low-cost substrate 6)Roll-to-roll processing 7)Fast assembly
Shell Solar (http://www.shell.com//shellsolar)
In Japan , Showa Shell Sekiyu announced in a press release on August 11, 2006 that the construction of its CIGS solar module production factory was completed as planned in June. The factory, with annual production capability of 20MW, is expected to start its commercial production at the beginning of 2007.
Schwäbisch Hall Germany - From 2007 onwards, Würth Solar will produce 200,000 CIS solar modules a year. This corresponds to 14.8 Megawatts. 175 employees will work in the CISfab from 2007, 35 of whom for the sales partner Würth Solergy.
See Also
Article on solar energy
Technology
Thin Film PV
Abstract This paper reviews the state of the art in using electrodeposition to prepare chalcopyrite absorber layers in thin film solar cells. Most of the studies deal with the direct preparation of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 films, and show that the introduction of gallium in the films is now becoming possible from single bath containing all the elements. Electrodeposition can also be used to form precursor films with stacked layer structures, of pure elements or of combinations with binary or even ternary films. Thermal annealing treatments are of dramatic importance to provide suitable electronic quality to the layers. They are often done in the presence of a chalcogen (selenium or sulfur) over pressure and there is a tendency to use rapid thermal processes. Less studies are devoted to complete solar cell formation. Significant progresses have been made in the recent period with several groups achieving cell efficiencies around 8–10% on different substrates. A record efficiency of 11.3% is reported for a cell with an absorber presenting a band gap of 1.47 eV. First results on the manufacturability of the corresponding process to large areas are presented.
Keywords: CuInSe2; Cu(In,Ga)Se2; Electrodeposition; Solar cell; Chalcopyrite
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 1 5542 6377; fax: +33 1 4427 6750
Solar Energy Volume 77, Issue 6 , December 2004, Pages 725-737 Thin Film PV
Sliver The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
With an efficiency over 20%, it is the world’s most efficient commercial thin-film solar cell.
News of a sliver technology (read that again, like almonds rather than a noble metal) developed at the Australian National University makes for a nice follow-up to Jim Fraser’s prediction that thin-film solar cells may become the low cost choice for photo voltaic systems in the future.
The cost of producing solar panels could be sliced by more than 60% thanks to technology being developed by Australian researchers, physicists heard today.
Professor Andrew Blakers, director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at the Australian National University, says ’sliver technology’ could reduce the price of solar power to below the current retail price of electricity. And he says this could make it cost-effective for householders to buy solar panels rather than electricity from the grid.
Blakers describes the latest refinements in the technology at the Australian Institute of Physics conference in Brisbane.
The system works by taking a standard solar cell about 1 millimetre thick and cutting it into tiny slices that are just 120 micrometres wide. “Imagine a standard solar cell is a loaf of bread. When you put it out in the sun it generates energy based on its surface area,” Blakers says. “Now imagine you cut that loaf up into slices and lay them horizontally. You get a lot more surface area.”
This technique allows researchers to use much smaller amounts of expensive silicon to generate the same amount of electricity. This can also keep manufacturing costs down, as all the processing steps normally carried out on solar cells are done while the slices are still in the ‘loaf’.
“We’re looking at major reductions in the total cost without the need for major scientific breakthroughs,” Blakers says. “It’s about doing a good engineering job using known scientific principles, in contrast to some other technologies.”
The sliver technology is also efficient at converting sunlight to electricity, he says. In recent months, the researchers have achieved efficiencies over 20%, making it the world’s most efficient commercial thin-film solar cell.
Now imagine quantum dots in between the slivers. Increasing the surface area also can mean an increase in the thermal load. Quantum dots embedded between layers of a solar cell absorb energy otherwise wasted due to overheating.
Ribbons
- Bruker-Spaleck GmbH Schramberg Germany
- Creativ in Buenos Aires - Argentina
- Luvata Austria GmbH
- [ Marusho (Sanko)]
- [ NPC (Sanko)]
- Schlenk Roth Germany
- Torpedo Specialty wire Rocky Mount, NC 27804
- Ulbrich
Useful Links
http://www.energetics.com/pdfs/renewables/photovoltaic.pdf
Excellent overview presentation
Sharpe
BP
Renewable Energy
NREL
SEIA
Solarbuzz
Source guides
Kyocerasolar
HSCPoly