Solar business from Korea

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. Problem: There is a need to reduce cracking rates in ultra-thin solar cell production, while boosting performance and simplify handling. Solution: The LTP PV 1500 laser transfer printer was developed by the Schmid Group to completely replace the existing screen printing process. It can be used for coating both the backs of solar cells with aluminum and aluminum/silver and the fronts with silver. The system can be integrated into existing production lines and is suitable for all types and sizes of cells. There...

Market research firm, iSuppli Corp has revised its growth forecast for the PV industry for 2009, due to the strong level of installations in Germany since mid-year as the rapidly declining module prices proved too alluring. As PV-Tech noted in a recent blog, the German market is hot right now and many research firms, including iSuppli could find themselves with forecasts well below actual installation levels, unless they made upward revisions. The market research firm now expects PV installations to reach 2.5GW in Germany, inline with GTM Research and EPIA, but lower than Photon Consulting’s projection of 3.9GW. Its previous forecast from Senior Director of Photovoltaics Research, Dr Henning Wicht was 1.53GW of installations in Germany. “Solar-panel installations in Germany began surging to record levels in July as prices for PV systems plunged,” said Wicht. “This phenomenon has boosted the global solar panel business and mitigated the severe oversupply situation that has stung the ind...

Major business partners Q-Cells and LDK Solar have fallen out over a significant solar wafer supply deal, which could see Q-Cells claim back US$244.5 million from LDK Solar for missing wafer and polysilicon supply obligations under a contract signed in late 2007. Q-Cells said in a statement that disagreements over the contract supply conditions led to arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, yet no amicable settlement has so far been reached. The 20 07 Take or Pay supply contract would see L DK Solar deliver more than 6GW of multicrystalline solar wafers to Q-Cells over a ten-year period commencing in 2009 through 2018. Q-Cells said that this equated to 43,000 tonnes of silicon over the contract peri od and specifically for 2009, equated to approximately 1,000 tonnes of silicon. As was typical in 2007 with polysilicon shortages, an advanced payment was made to secure the capacity. Q-Cells noted that it made a US$244.5 million advance to LDK Solar in the beg...

STX Solar Ends Solar Cell Plant Construction STX Solar Co., Ltd.’s newly constructed solar cell manufacturing plant entered the production. STX held an opening ceremony for a new solar cell plant at its Gumi headquarter on November 2 with Kang Duk-soo, Chairman of STX Group, Kim Kwan-yong, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, Lee Hee-beom, Chairman of STX Energy, Kim Young Hak, Vice Minister for Trade and Energy and Yoo-chin Nam, Mayor of Gumi City in attendance. STX Solar’s new plant will enter single crystal solar cells manufacturing. Partnership with Sharp, Japan based No.1 solar cell manufacturer, which transferred production technology and manufacturing facility to STX Solar, helped the company to establish stable manufacturing system only within first month of trial operation. STX Solar began construction in September last year on 58,000㎡ site and completed construction of solar cell plant equipped with a 50MW class solar cell production system in August this year. With module install...

LG Electronics has acquired third-party certification for its solar cell testing facility from TUV Rheinland, a German company involved in technical, safety and certification services. The South Korean company has been investing heavily in the solar cell business over the past five years, looking to invest 220 billion won (about $185 million) to complete two solar cell production lines by the end of 2010. LG claims to be the world's first company to get third-party certification for a solar cell testing facility. The certification will help reduce the time and money spent on safety testing and the certification of solar cell products, the process of which is currently handled by independent organizations. ``When relying on independent product safety organizations, the process takes about a year and costs several tens of millions of won for each product. Gaining certification will cut the time to about six months and allow us to save about 3 billion won annually,'' said an L...

A solar module prototype developed by SunPower has clocked a 20.4% efficiency in tests, confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). The 333W full-sized solar panel consists of 96 third-generation cells with a total panel area of 1.6m 2 . The prototype was funded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under its Solar America Initiative (SAI), which was awarded to SunPower approximately two years ago. Using the company’s technology, which yields cells that boast a minimum of 23% efficiency, the company used larger area cells cut from a 165mm diameter ingot. The prototype was also treated with an anti-reflective coating for maximum power generation. The company expects to launch the new 20.4% efficiency module on the market within the next two years. SunPower has announced its intention to initiate a solar panel manufacturing facility in the U.S. utilising automated equipment designed and created using the SAI funding. "SunPower has the engineering expertise and proven techno...

major chemical manufacturer in Korea, HanWha Chemical Co., Ltd, will be produce PV solar cell at Jan. 2010, already completely set up factory of PV solar cell 30MW in Ulsan Korea it's his first factory and will be expand 330MW/year until 2012 every people has know that PV solar market is very bad this new producer can be competition with major old producer in worldwide? who is beginner PV solar cell, didn't has any business relationship PV solar cell and module value chain before Hanwha Chemical is some big chemical company in Korea, no one or two producer of PVC, DOP & LDPE in Korea total sales volume is 1 billion USD the last year and has investment just 30million USD for this first factory, it's small amount than his sales volume but in the further need a lot money for expand capacity of PV solar cell if can't expand capacity can't survivor in hardly competition It's his problems local PV solar market is very sharply drop down in this year because ...

Bridgestone will increase its production capacity of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film, which is used as an adhesive for solar modules. The company said it will install new production lines at its Seki Plant in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, adding to its existing EVA film manufacturing site in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The production capacity at the Seki plant will be 1200 tons per month by the second half of 2011, at a total investment of about ¥4.4 billion ($48.67 million), according to the company. In September 2008, Bridgestone said it had earmarked approximately ¥5.4 billion ($59.76 million at current rates) for investment in the Iwata plant, with plans to begin increasing production in early 2011. Combined with the previously announced capacity expansion plans in April 2008 which will take effect in late 2010, the leading tire and rubber company stated at the time that it expected total monthly production of EVA film to reach approximately 3000 tons, once the lines ramped t...

Centrosolar's Glas unit has increased its annual solar glass manufacturing capacity to 6 million square meters at its factory in Fürth, Germany, and has a new antireflective nanocoating process set to go into volume production before the end of the year. The company says that it has invested €10 million over the past two years to double its production output because of the addition of new customers in Europe, North America, and Asia, and that the newly installed capacity is being fully utilized, with further expansion plans already in the pipeline. The company says that its best-selling product is antireflective-coated solar glass that can boost the annual power output of a solar module by 4-7%. The new patented nanocoating feature set to go into volume production soon can now also be applied just on one side, and across the entire surface, making the processing of this solar glass even more efficient. "At times like the present, where everyone looks very closely at the effici...

The arrival of the feed-in tariff (FiT) was a much-anticipated one, something that would boost the solar sector and give countries around the globe the incentive they needed to convert from conventional energy sources into the renewable sector. No one could have predicted the upheaval that could have been brought with this seemingly positive move. Spain The first and most prominent downfall came in the shape of Spain. It introduced its generous FiT rate of up to €0.44/kWh back in 2007 when the government expected a steady stream of investment. In response, there came a flood. The country was left accounting for more than 40% of the world's total solar installations in 2008. This huge uptake gave the powers-that-be no choice but to revise the FiT rate, causing Spain to became one of the principal causes of the downturn in the solar industry. Some might say that the evident success stories of other countries like Germany caused a trend to be set for others. Yet in their infancy, unre...

Product Briefing Outline: Wacker is introducing ‘Tectosil,’ a silicone-based elastic polymer sheet, which is thermo-formable and therefore a fast and easy encapsulant process. Tectosil provides sensitive solar cells with effective and long-lasting protection against mechanical and chemical stresses. It is non-corrosive and can be used with any type of module. Problem: There is a growing need for new encapsulant materials as the PV industry continues to expand and traditional materials are limited supply. However, new materials must perform in the same way and offer the durability required for PV module expected lifespan. Solution: Tectosil is a flexible, highly transparent and electrically insulating sheet comprising a silicone-organo copolymer. Because of its thermoplastic properties, this silicone-based polymer can be processed quickly and inexpensively – without curing or chemical reactions. The lamination process thus benefits from short production cycles and a high tolerance to ...

Applied Materials has received International Electrotechnical Commission certification for both the single- and tandem-junction versions of the 5.7 m2 solar photovoltaic modules produced by its SunFab thin film line. Tests run by TÜV InterCert confirmed that the large-area amorphous-silicon panels meet IEC standards 61646 and 61730."Applied’s 5.7 m2 modules are four times bigger than anything we've ever tested," said Feridoon Sergizzarea, president/CEO of TÜV InterCert. "We made modifications to the laboratory and added equipment to enable us to test modules this large. Creating a PV product of this size that can pass all of the IEC tests while maintaining mechanical and electrical integrity is an impressive feat of engineering. "The quarter-sized 1.4 m2 modules produced on the SunFab TFPV line received IEC certification earlier this year. However, a full-size 5.7 m2 panel designed to maintain high power output while subjected to years of exposure to sunlight, ...

want to sell it's 156x156mm mono PV solar cell 3.79watt/cell I can be supply 30,000 cell/month regularly It's spec. out by manufactuer's self internal inspection because eff. is not over 16% other properties is same as spec. in A grade solar cell who is interest it feel free contact me

In a planned three-year effort to reduce the cost of producing crystalline silicon solar cells by reducing and the amount of Si/Watt that is needed by half and boost conversion efficiencies to approximately 20%, SCHOTT Solar has joined IMEC's newly launched silicon photovoltaics industrial affiliation program (IIAP). The program is expected to see silicon solar cell manufacturers, equipment and material suppliers collaborate and share intellectual property, talent, risk and costs involved in the project. “In the highly dynamic market of solar power, short time to market for new products is essential,” noted Dr. Martin Heming, Chief Executive Officer at SCHOTT Solar AG. “Therefore, SCHOTT Solar is pleased to announce that the company has joined the high-level IIAP R&D program at IMEC, the leading research institute in the field. We support IMEC's ambitious goals and their work towards creating success their partners." IMEC's program will explore both wafer-based bu...