New Processing System For Large Wafer Sized Cells
Fraunhofer ISE Introduces ‘Groundbreaking’ Technology with ‘On-The-Fly’ Laser Equipment
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has introduced a new solar cell processing system for large format solar cells, read M12 and G12, that can laser half a million contact openings per second and has an effective throughput of over 15.
The Bigger, The Better
While Cell Lines Got The Highest Impact From Change Of Wafers Size, The Current Crop Of Tools Not Only Are Flexible, But Supports High Productivity
In the entire value chain of PV manufacturing, cell processing gets the largest impact from a change in wafer size. That’s because almost every cell processing equipment is size sensitive; essentially, they all are batch processing tools.
Power vs. Cell Size & Count
Leading Solar Module Makers Are Offering Quite A Wide Variety Of Products Based On Different Wafer Sizes Cell Count, Shows TaiyangNews Advanced Solar Module Technologies Report
Until recently, the module power, the most important characteristic of a PV module, has majorly been a function of either efficiency or the number of cells integrated into a module, which was 60 or 72 cells.
Powerful Modules
TaiyangNews Advanced Module Report Lists Modules With High Power (>500 W), And PV Panels Using Larger Wafer Formats Such As G12 And M10 Top The List
No matter how much progress there has been in the solar industry, and even with end customers increasingly looking at LCOE and $/kWh, peak power still remains the sales metric for solar modules to a great extent.
The M10 Perspective
The Day 1 Of TaiyangNews’ Virtual Conference On High Efficiency Solar Technologies Discussed Advantages Of M10-Based Modules Along The Manufacturing Chain
In the past, module manufacturers mostly relied on cell level performance to improve module output power. This led to PERC finding a footing a few years ago to now establishing itself as the state-of-the-art cell technology.
Thinner Wafers Help Lower Production Costs
Industry Trends Show As Wafer Size Increases, Wafer Thickness Also Goes Up But Thanks To Thinner Wafers, Costs Are Now Coming Down
Increasing wafer size became a low hanging fruit for module makers to increase PV panel power output. This important trend influences another key physical attribute of the wafer – the wafer thickness.
Gradual Evolution Of Wafer Size
In Just Couple Of Years, Wafer Surface Area Has Nearly Doubled From 156mm To 210mm Today; TaiyangNews Covers The Journey
While silicon substrates with 156mm side length have been a standard in solar wafer manufacturing for more than a decade, manufacturers have been able to increase the side length, though marginally to 156.75mm around a decade ago.
Size Matters For Solar PV Modules
TaiyangNews Explores Trend Of Increased Wafer Sizes In Solar Industry & Finds Bigger Wafers Enhance Power Output As Well As Module Size
Increasing wafer size increases module power, but it also makes modules larger. As the wafer sizes have been increasing over the years, more prominently since 2018, the module size has also started increasing.
China PV News Snippets: PV InfoLink, Risen Energy
PV InfoLink Says M6 Wafer Sized Solar Modules Accounted For 2 GW Total Export Volume In Q2/2020; Risen Energy Launches 600 W Modules
Demand for G1 wafers on the rise: PV InfoLink says between January 2020 and May 2020, solar modules with G1 silicon wafer side length (158.75 mm) accounted for 60% of total Chinese wafer export volume.
LONGi: Hi-MO 5 To Account For 30% Shipment in 2021
TaiyangNews Speaks To Hongbin Fang & Liu Chang Of LONGi Solar About Prospects & Competitive Advantages Of Hi-MO 5 Module Series
Not one to believe in the bigger the better adage, vertically integrated PV module manufacturer LONGi Solar is in no hurry to introduce a larger wafer sized module based on 210 mm format.
