SOLAR CELL KIT: A new manufacturing process from Oerlikon makes cheap, productive solar cell manufacture possible on a broad scale.
Image: Courtesy of Oerlikon
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In just 10 months Taiwanese optical disk manufacturer CMC Magnetics added a new product to its line: thin-film solar cells. The company's subsidiary, Sunwell, now churns out about 10,000 solar panels a month—feeding a surging global demand for the clean electricity source—thanks to technology courtesy of Swiss solar newcomer Oerlikon.
"We're taking … an Intel-inside type of approach," says Chris O'Brien, Oerlikon's marketing chief in North America. "We're able to sell customers a turnkey [assembly] line with guaranteed module performance and throughput at a fixed price."
Now at least half a dozen companies are employing Oerlikon's industrial technology (brand name: micromorph), which produces solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently. Among them, Berlin-based Inventux Technologies, AG, which opened a new solar panel factory yesterday designed to churn out 33 megawatts worth of the improved solar panels a year.
At the heart of the technology is a roughly 15–square foot, 55-pound (1.4–square meter, 25-kilogram) solar panel comprising photovoltaic cells with two thin layers of semiconducting materials: one made of so-called amorphous silicon—a special form of glass whose atoms do not form a crystalline lattice—and one composed of microcrystalline silicon. By pairing the two, the solar cell can absorb more of both the visible and infrared spectrum sunlight that falls on it, thereby producing more electricity.
Oerlikon has also added a layer of zinc oxide (perhaps more familiar as the white sunblock that lifeguards slather onto their noses) to help channel the sunlight—shunting it from inactive areas of the cell to areas ready to make electricity—further enhancing efficiency. Together these technologies make solar cells manufactured the Oerlikon way capable of turning more than 9 percent of absorbed sunlight into electricity—30 percent more than traditional amorphous silicon thin-film cells; the complete panels can produce 125 watts of power.
"There's no material, no element which is rare or toxic in this," adds physicist Johannes Meier, Oerlikon Solar's chief technology officer. "Therefore, this is a technology that can span over the whole world and has the potential to go to several gigawatts [of installed capacity] in volume."
Producing the high-performance solar cells costs about $1.20 per watt of cell capacity, according to O'Brien. "If we can really bring costs down of [photovoltaics (PV)], then you can really bring down the cost of a kilowatt-hour produced by PV and be soon competitive with conventional forms" of power generation, like burning coal, Meier adds. "If that happens, then the market can really explode."
Semiconductor-manufacturing giant Applied Materials of Santa Clara, Calif., sells a similar industrial kit, but Oerlikon's process has been certified by independent consultants, allowing the company to offer guarantees on the quantity and quality of solar cells that can be fabricated by the kit.
Ultimately, the goal is to get cheap, productive solar cells to as many customers as possible. By selling the technology to manufacture such cells to many different companies rather than producing them itself, Oerlikon believes the overall market for solar technology can grow more rapidly—and get even cheaper. Already, Sunwell has redoubled its investment to expand from the capacity to make 40 megawatts of solar cells to 220 megawatts by 2010—and at least 500,000 Oerlikon-inside solar panels have been manufactured worldwide.
And if solar cells can be made that deliver energy at $1 per watt—as Oerlikon and others aim to do—then PV systems will deliver power that costs the same or less than the fossil fuel–burning power plants of today.
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19 Comments
Add CommentThis is great news! Great great great!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNice work Suuuisse!
...as the US falls behind in yet another technological field...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut hey, keep pumping the billions into oil, guys, we're doin great.
I have been waiting for something like this. Now, as a former house builder, I wish the commercial design experts would get into the act and create both traditional and innovative looking panel products that can be used in construction to complete the appearance and curb appeal of buildings that use this solar panel technology. Anything other than industrial flat panels that look like an after thought stuck on a roof.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExcellent progress
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.nanosolar.com/ <--is an American company that has developed way better efficiency and at .99 cents a kWh. If they would only stop worshipping money and realize that the world needs this technology! NOW so we can stop these horrible wars over resources. And learn to leverage the full collective creativity of the human race. Witch could solve our many problems much faster and more peacefully.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe finally have a weapon the allows us too begin repairing the burnt bridges. Of which are all based on Envy and Arrogance.
World peace and human harmony is attainable with the explosion of technology and creativity that mobile computing is about to gift our world.
This time will surely be remembered as the most important period of our existence. We are now entering the Age of peaceful robots! That can be very helpful in reducing injuries and stress that has been created by people.
Whom have been slaving in a totalitarian corporation which has effectively reduced many people's ability to think for themselves. This can all change NOW because the technology is here for it!!]
We must have much respect for the hero's that have been fighting to bring about this coming period of compassion and love. As we must also forgive those that have been wronged by greed and corruption.
Forgiveness is absolutely needed now for these CEO's that have been tricked by their human nature and are truly hero's for being willing to have the courage to stand against the hatred of terrorist and the poor.
For if any one of us were in their positions we would have hopefully behaved much the same way.
But now,the need for such leadership(no longer required and it is time for us too relearn how to behave as compassionate and understanding people
http://theartofhappiness.com/ <is a book that has turned me from being completely enraged at the greed and glutton of our leadership into a compassionate respect for these courageous mislead fools.
\Also a must read that will improve your quality of life immensely is {The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People} A:though The {Art of Happiness} is aligned with the Dali Lama it is not a Religious book! Neither is another book that the Dali Lama has collaborated in called {How to Expand Love} http://books.google.com/books?id=QDXReG6qjtUC&dq=how+to+expand+love&pg=PP1&ots=m2O97otsyD&source=bn&sig=9xtNVHMkErpz0oYpMweCCdLzmwE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result <<< is a link to find more about these life enhancing super powerful works of art!! {How to Expand Love} is a very short and easy read for those that don't enjoy reading or those that don't have much time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisArticle's closing: "And if solar cells can be made that deliver energy at $1 per watt . . . . then PV systems will deliver power that costs the same or less than the fossil fuelburning power plants of today."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo is that $1/watt as manufactured or $1/watt as a complete, integrated and installed system? Oh, and is that over what timeframe, one year, ten years or 25 years? Inquiring minds want to know.
(Footnote/By the way: The fossil fuel power plant link "reference" in the closing paragraph does not discuss cost/watt generated. This merely begs the question whether the total environmetal costs of coal mining and coal burning can be calculated.)
"There's no material, no element which is rare or toxic in this," adds physicist Johannes Meier, Oerlikon Solar's chief technology officer. "Therefore, this is a technology that can span over the whole world and has the potential to go to several gigawatts [of installed capacity] in volume."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUm... several gigawatts? He's off by a few orders of magnitude. Simple calculation: there is over 1 petawatt (1 million gigawatts) of solar power (on average over the course of a day or year) landing on the world's buildings. Even at 9% conversion efficiency, that means about 100 terrawatts of generation- about 40-50 times total current global electricity consumption. And that is just from rooftops.
Hahaha... I wonder if the Giga-Tera "nuance" was lost in translation. When translating from The Crazy Schveetzer-Deetzer, one can expect such slipups, since that "language" has many erm... eccentricities. Look it up, for a laugh. It is 1. Not taught, 2. Not written, 3. not the official national language (there isn't one)... it's like a daily-evolving slang meant just to annoy and confuse the germans. After living there for a time, I was amazed at their ability to get anything done at all in spite of it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA new coal plant is about $2.10 per installed watt which does not include fuel (coal) and emissions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/technology/18solar.html?_r=1&ref=technology
Solar manufacturing goal of $1 per watt leaves $1 per watt for install of solar.
Coal can work 24.x7 .. Solar works when the sunshines
As far as years ... Coal plants can basically last forever .. a typical estimate is 30 years ... Most solar cell designs have not been around for 30 years .. it is difficult to estimate ... it is sort of a mute point as 30 years from now it may be extermely difficult to continue operation of a coal plant
The $1 goal represents the ability for solar to compete costwise during daytime meaning at least less coal burnt during daytime peak.
Uhh, This is still silicon based. I'm not sure silicone counts as 'not rare' if by that you mean cheap. $1/watt is MANUFACTURING cost, on top of which you need to pile the huge margin that a few large high tech manufactures are going to reap, which will at least double that figure. Current retail prices for current PV are already only, what, $5/watt? if you really want to read about a potentially revolutionary photovoltaic technology at a truly low cost/watt, research alternative technologies like the DSC / Graetzel cell.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sensitized_solar_cell
which you can LITERALLY MAKE IN YOUR GARAGE with no ingredient more expensive (per pound) than the pot roast you ate last night, and NO EQUIPMENT MORE COMPLEX THAN A HOT PLATE.
Think third world being able to leapfrog burning coal...
Pipe dream? Nope. Get the working kit here for $45 and try it yourself.
http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/cellkit.html
>>I'm not sure silicone counts as 'not rare' if by that you mean cheap.<<
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry but you're mixing up to techologies (don't worry - still happens quite often these times)
Crystalline PV technology
has a huge problem as Silicon feed stock is rare and expensive (as demanded by muliple industries such as semi conductor, PV etc.)
Thin film Silicon PV Technology
employs Silan Gas to absorb silicon on a substrate (glass, flexible foil etc) in a PECVD-Process (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition). The so produced silicon absorber layer is 200 times thinner than modern crystalline PV cells (wafers). Plus - there is NO suppy shortage problem for silan gas and its much cheaper than feed stock crystalin silicon Wafers.
>>I'm not sure silicone counts as 'not rare' if by that you mean cheap.<<
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry but you're mixing up to techologies (don't worry - still happens quite often these times)
Crystalline PV technology
has a huge problem as Silicon feed stock is rare and expensive (as demanded by muliple industries such as semi conductor, PV etc.)
Thin film Silicon PV Technology
employs Silan Gas to absorb silicon on a substrate (glass, flexible foil etc) in a PECVD-Process (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition). The so produced silicon absorber layer is 200 times thinner than modern crystalline PV cells (wafers). Plus - there is NO supply shortage problem for silan gas and its much cheaper than feed stock crystalin silicon wafers.
Thanks, but you'll notice I spelled it (Silicon) right the first time. Yes, I meant silicone, not breast implants :-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGrrr. Silcon!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this;-D
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@strangedays
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCost per watt is nothing to do with money-worship, but everything to do with Sustainability. Energy is required to make Anything, and - in the case of solar panels or cells - the product must return several times that ammount of energy, in total, over its working life, or we will require another energy source to "renew" it, will we not ? Energy translates to Money. The two are synonymous, but energy is inflation-proof and not so easy to get into the wallet. It is "merely representative" !! Wealth comes Either from The Sun - or from environmental degradation, I think you will find. i.e. one man's wealth causes another's - or everybody-elses - degradation. It seems to be another example of "The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics".
A dollar/watt refers to what can be expected from a cell - not a made-up panel, which are about 1.5 Eu/watt - in full sunshine. A 25 year life-expectancy seems the norm, but that isn't to say that an accident might not cut that short, or that many may not still be giving energy after 40 years. I hope that I am not being a hopeless optimist when I say that solar could self-sustain here in Bulgaria. i.e. provide the energy to buy a second, and then keep on going to a ripe old age. This is something that current "Wind technology" cannot. It is really (very large) Wind-ow dressing.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this- But it makes a point !!
Wind-energy can self-sustain, btw.
So the 3rd world countries just "leapfrog coal-burnig" buy buying and playing with these kid's kits is it ? I fail to see how this is going to help. I'm "3rd world" and very interested - but I shan't be plashing-out. I suggest the only people who will be are those snuggly embedded in fossil-addiction !
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