A new company for the PV industry that is already catching the eye of customers and pre-eminent research institutions, WAVELABS is set to shake-up the sector with a unique interface and a fresh approach to business. We put the questions to the company’s Torsten Brammer, Thankmar Wagner and Jˆrn Suthues.
PES: WAVELABS is a relatively new technology firm in the photovoltaics industry. Would you like to introduce the company and explain how you serve the solar/PV sector?
Torsten Brammer: Thanks for inviting us to talk with PES. WAVELABS is a German start-up specialised in LED solar simulators. We help our customers measure the efficiency of their products, the single most important metric in photovoltaic production. With our products, manufacturers measure more accurately and more reliably. What’s more, we even save them money by lowering their measurement operating costs.
And more accurate measurements put cash in the pockets of manufacturers. Which couldn’t come at a better time, since the price per watt peak of solar modules has taken a nose dive since the year 2000. Xenon-based devices simply can’t provide a very accurate simulation of the sun’s light. The spectrum they emit can deviate from natural sunlight by as much as 25%. But with prices per watt peak well under a euro, every last bit of efficiency counts. With xenon simulators, manufacturers are leaving money on the table, up to 300,000 Euros a year or more.
On top of that, xenon-based solar simulators are also costly to operate, requiring expensive replacement lamps at frequent intervals. We’ve solved these problems by using LEDs instead. The new technology has also allowed us to develop unique features that are simply impossible to achieve with conventional xenon lamps.
PES: The market for equipment that measures and helps classify solar photovoltaic products appears to be expanding. What’s behind this recent trend?
Jörn Suthues: The reason for all the activity in metrology is due to the declining prices over the last few years. The only way to maintain a competitive advantage will be to reduce production costs while continuing to increase efficiency. Good measurement equipment makes that easier.
It will be crucially important for the measurement technology used in the lab to make it to the production floor, because that’s where photovoltaics will draw the momentum it needs to keep driving the green energy revolution. We’re working hard to make that happen.
PES: How do you manage to stay one step ahead of the competition?
Jörn Suthues: Our extensive experience as process technologists and a deep knowledge of what our customers need is what gives us the ability to take this technology from the lab to the production line. Because for most of our careers, we held the same positions that many of our customer contacts currently do within their organisations.
We’re also staying competitive in our sector by employing agile product development techniques and entering into strategic institutional and commercial partnerships. And Germany is really the ideal location for us. No other country in the world is home to this much research and production expertise in the field of photovoltaics. And of course we are also solidifying our position by patenting key technologies.
PES: Do you see growth continuing in your market? How do you intend to capitalise on it?
Torsten Brammer: The industry’s dry spell has come to an end. Still, this was not a bad time for us at all. We made good use of it to develop our first product. We will also be launching another new product, our simulator for PV modules, at a very opportune moment, because a number of manufacturers are now starting to increase production again and expand their capacity.
They want their new lines to be significantly better than the old ones. Our products are capable of helping them achieve the improvements they’re seeking. We provide higher measurement quality and unique new features such as additional blue/red illumination that reveals process variance. Put it all together, and we make our customers more competitive in their markets. And that’s something everyone wants to be.
PES: What are the key benefits of the LED technology you have developed for your solar simulators?
Jörn Suthues: We don’t have the only LED solar simulator on the market, but not all LEDs are created equal. Some of the devices available use only six different colors of LED, for instance. They can’t come close to the accuracy we’ve achieved by using 21 different colors of LED.
We’ve developed a special lens system to ensure that the spectrum our simulator emits is homogenous across the entire surface of the cell. We’ve included a built-in spectrometer so the device can monitor its own output as it is being emitted, allowing for precise spectral adjustments in real time during a measurement. The SINUS-220 also comes equipped with fully integrated infrared and electroluminescence cameras and an innovative hotspot detection feature.
It adds up to a nearly flawless yet flexible simulation of sunlight that stays constant for a very long time with hardly any maintenance required. You get none of the spectral drift associated with xenon simulators, and the light source will operate perfectly for many times the life of a xenon lamp.
PES: We’re pleasantly surprised to see that so much effort has gone into the design of your products. What prompted you to invest in this area?
Torsten Brammer: Thank you. Lots of people ask about that. Apparently there is an impression that it took a lot of effort. But in reality, it was more a matter of having industrial design experts who shared our philosophy about good product design. Consequently, they were able to quickly and efficiently create the functional yet memorable design that we were looking for. Not one single aspect of the outward appearance has been added purely for decorative purposes. That’s how we arrived at the clean lines that a lot of people find appealing.
PES: We note that you’ve also paid a great deal of attention to the user interface. Why was this important to you?
Jörn Suthues: We have worked with a lot of devices over the years ourselves. Although some had very advanced capabilities, many were also complex and difficult to use. Even experienced operators would make incorrect settings at times and be forced to repeat measurements. That’s why we wanted to create a product that is exceptional from both a technical and an ergonomic standpoint – we wanted a product made to be used by human beings, not just a piece of sophisticated technology that leaves users scratching their heads.
PES: Another thing that makes WAVELABS and its products stand out is color. Why orange?
Torsten Brammer: Technology companies often make heavy use of green or blue. The idea is rooted in color theory. Both of these colours have a more cool, conservative, technological feel to them. We set out from the start to be different than anything else the world has ever seen. That’s why we chose orange, the color of warning lights and fire – a color with a lot of power behind it. But orange also stands for optimism and creativity. We’re making a statement to the outside world, but also for our internal stakeholders. LED’s go orange!
PES: Tell us about your recent involvement with the Fraunhofer research team…
Jörn Suthues: We’re obviously delighted about Fraunhofer’s interest in our products. They are one of the most renowned research organisations on the planet. We’ve sold one LED solar simulator for cells and one for modules to Fraunhofer so far. But we’re also working together with them to develop new features for future product generations.
This new functionality will move beyond mere efficiency measurements, for instance by providing more extensive capabilities for analyzing materials or loss mechanisms. In general, our philosophy is to take the sophistication and accuracy of measurements normally done in the lab and make them possible right on the production floor. This will help the photovoltaics industry to keep achieving ever-greater efficiencies and lower costs.
PES: Although the company is fairly young, you bring a great deal of experience to the table. What are the backgrounds of your executive team?
Thankmar Wagner: It’s true that Jˆrn and Torsten have been in the field for quite some time now. Over the course of his career, Jˆrn has worked for both Fraunhofer and Q CELLS, where he was in charge of metrology. Torsten has been in photovoltaics since 1993, filling a number of key academic and business roles which saw him leading solar cell optimisation at Q CELLS and assuming the title of CTO for the Q CELLS spinoff Sontor. My background includes over a decade of legal, financial and tax experience at international organisations.
PES: And how is business right now? Is the company performing to your expectations?
Thankmar Wagner: We’re quite pleased with how things have developed so far. We reached cash break-even in Q1 2014, a full quarter ahead of the projected date according to our business plan that dates back to 2011. So everything is working out better than expected. The planned order volumes for both 2013 and 2014 have already been reached.
What our first customers have to say about us is also quite encouraging. At Hanwha Q CELLS, our product is known for its production worthiness, excellent usability, and reliability. Fraunhofer and SERIS (Solar Energy Research Institute Singapore) appreciate the high quality and flexibility our SINUS-220 solar simulator gives them. We’ve even received an award for our innovations this year, a silver medal as part of Germany’s IQ Innovationspreis. We are currently in talks with prospective customers in China and the US.
PES: WAVELABS has only been around a few years, but do you already have long-term plans?
Thankmar Wagner: Sure we do. We currently have around 10 employees in Germany for product development, sales and marketing, and administration in addition to our international sales and service representatives. Our goal is to earn a two-digit market share of the solar simulator market for new PV production lines.
We’re also going to develop more features and products (an LED solar simulator for PV modules is scheduled to launch in 2015), and diversify into other industries such as metrology for novel materials and life sciences.
PES: Can you tell us a little about the services you offer to support the lifecycle of your products?
Torsten Brammer: Photovoltaics is a global industry, so we know that we need to have partners located in close proximity to our customers. We can take care of that ourselves in Germany. In Asia, our partners Jsun and Solsol Asia are responsible for the territories of China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. These partners handle sales and service in their regions. In the future, partners will be added for Taiwan and Japan and possibly the USA, India, and South America as well.
In addition to supplying equipment, we also provide consulting for our customers regarding sorting criteria, hotspot prevention, and general process optimisation.
PES: Finally, what are your thoughts about the coming 12 months? Is 2015 looking as positive for you as 2014?
Thankmar Wagner: 2014 is a year we’re using to build up good references. We were extremely satisfied with what we have already achieved in that respect, with Hanwha Q CELLS, Fraunhofer, and SERIS all on board and a demo product going out to Jsun in China. In 2015, we look to take things to the next level with respect to unit volumes. And it’s looking good so far.
We’re going to launch our new LED-based module simulator in 2015 as well. And we have a number of new products currently under development for solar applications as well as non-solar applications, such as spectroscopy technology for novel materials.
The solar wave has gained so much momentum, there’s no more stopping it now. Any player in the industry can turn a profit – all you have to do is make good products and combine that with good service.
