- At the SNEC the SCHMID Group received the Technology Highlights Award 2017 of the pv magazine. The jury considers the DW PreTex inline system for texturing diamond-wire-cut multi-wafers as a “game changer” for the photovoltaic industry.
At the SNEC in Shanghai the SCHMID Group celebrated the trade show premiere of its latest development: DW PreTex for the texturing of diamond-wire-cut multi-wafers. Again, it became clear: Based on the intensive dialog with its customers the company group, founded in 1864, develops efficient processes that ensure massive cost savings in PV production.
“With our inline system the manufacturers can save between 0.06 and 0.10 euros per wafer. The number of visitors at the SNEC was correspondingly large”, concludes Dr. Buchner, head of the business unit Photovoltaics at SCHMID. “The fact that we have won the Technology Highlights Award shows the importance of this technology.” In total, several dozen companies from all over the world had applied for the award. A jury of six experts from the PV industry took a close look at the new developments submitted and selected DW PreTex as the winner.
Especially from Chinese customers, who have to meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements, many inquiries were also made regarding the NOX-free edge isolation of mono-crystalline wafers. SCHMID’s inline system achieves a perfect edge isolation and rearside polishing with an alkaline solution instead of nitric acid (HNO3) that is difficult to handle. The effect: lower process costs and no polluting nitrogen oxide (NOX) that is expensive to dispose of.
After the successful SNEC the SCHMID Group is now looking to the next highlight in the global PV industry calendar: The Intersolar Europe in Munich, from May 31, to June 2, 2017. There SCHMID will also present its energy storage systems based on the Vanadium Redox Flow Technology in hall A2 at booth 260.
