Masdar PV, a manufacturer of large-surface thin-film solar panels in Ichtershausen, Germany, said its modules are 15 per cent more efficient, based on the semiconductor amorphous silicon, or a-Si.
The company, a unit of Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy Company, or Masdar, said its modules’ efficiency has risen to 7.4 per cent.
“The increase was made possible over the past six months by in-house process know-how, as a result of which additional and optimised production steps and improved quality checks have been introduced,” the company said.
“Commercial production for the improved modules is already in place,” an official told Khaleej Times from Germany.
“The modules’ efficiency will certainly help to further improve Masdar PV’s market position,” the official said, without elaborating on how it will impact the sales and profitability, as Masdar PV is a privately held company.”
Masdar PV is reinforcing its position as one of the most efficient providers of a-Si thin-film modules.
The thin-film based photovoltaic, or PV, modules are specially designed for use in open-space solar parks, or in large roof PV applications.
The global flexible and thin-film PV market, despite caution in the overall PV industry, is expected to experience a compound annual growth rate of over 35 per cent to 2019, surpassing 32GW, according to a new major study by IntertechPira.
“We have achieved this substantial increase in the efficiency of our modules because we have consistently focussed on optimising the production line in line with market requirements from the very outset,” said Dr Harald Bloeb, Manager of Engineering/Transfer at Masdar PV.
“A decisive factor in this respect was the work undertaken by Masdar PV team, and for the future we see the possibility of increasing the efficiencies of our modules even further”, he added, explaining the reasons for this accomplishment.
Amongst others, this achievement is due to seven “Inline Metrology” systems, which permit the precise characterisation of the modules. On the basis of the expertise available within the company, further non-proprietary additions and optimisations are now in the pipeline.
“For our customers, this increase in efficiency signifies a cost advantage. For this reason, we are anticipating a further increase in the demand for our modules, which come into their own particularly in diffuse lighting conditions and high environmental temperatures”, said Frank Wouters, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar PV.
The Abu Dhabi renewable energy company set up its first photovoltaic production plant in Ichtershausen, which uses advanced production technologies to bring PV closer towards grid parity, and enhances a local economy with a rich history of manufacturing and technology.
The $230 million German plant marks the first phase of Masdar’s $2 billion investment in thin-film PV manufacturing, one of the largest investments ever made in solar. The plant has a targeted annual production capacity of 70MW, and will create more than 180 green jobs.
It produces the world’s largest (5.7-square metre) and most powerful PV modules, on equipment from the world’s leading supplier Applied Materials, to drive the cost reductions necessary to make solar energy an affordable reality.
(Source: Khaleej Times, Dubai)
