Savings & DiscountsExhibitors at the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (27th EU PVSEC), 24-28 September 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany, are entitled to become part of the PV Matrix free of charge from May 2012 until 1 November 2012.
This special service includes the opportunity for the exhibiting companies to set up an account and to add their organization to this online tool. The PV Matrix illustrates and links the complete PV value chain by grouping solar technology into five main segments: Silicon, Thin Film, Organic, Installation and Power Generation as well as R&D. Each segment expands to show categories within that technology or field.
The matrix is an effective global platform for business promotion: Registered companies can benefit from enhanced sales opportunities and leads. The PV Matrix improves technology exchange, networking and interacting with other companies.
The online tool provides the latest data and information on PV industry suppliers, including company overviews, in-depth product information supported by images, videos, data sheets, white papers, brochures and more. This way, the matrix simplifies the process of finding specific information and identifying key suppliers from the PV value chain.
For EU PVSEC exhibitors that embrace this exclusive offer and join the PV Matrix there will also be the opportunity to extend their company’s listing and presentation in this online tool beyond 1 November 2012. Details will be announced nearer the show.
Find the PV Matrix online at www.matrix.ipvea.org. For more information, please visit www.IPVEA.org.
PV MATRIX: AVAIlAble To All eU PVSeC eXhIbIToRS
Pages 08 - 11Read our review of SNEC
SNECSPECIAL
阅读最新的光伏产业新闻 12-13页
2 | IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012
IPVEA NEWS
IPVEA Annual General MeetingIPVEA will be holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM), during EU PVSEC in Frankfurt.
Board member Mr Ludgar Wahlers (ISRA Solar Vision) will be stepping downIn addition, with last year’s election of Elke Hoffman and Aßländer Ortrun to the board of directors, there are two vacancies on the advisory board.
If you would like to nominate yourself to join IPVEA’s board or advisory board please email MD Bryan Ekus, ASAP, at: [email protected].
Other discussion points during the AGM will include the supported event calendar and new directions for IPVEA in 2013.
Social media updatesOver the past few months IPVEA has been utilising social media networks and multimedia platforms to extend its profile, via regular updates on Twitter, LinkedIn, FB and podcasts.
IPVEA expands Asia commitment and resourcesChinese-language announcements to feature in Update
To raise IPVEA’s brand and profile in China, both within the Asian teams of its member companies and among potential new members headquartered in China, a Mandarin-language section will be included in the Update newsletters. The Chinese section will summarise IPVEA’s achievements and detail how IPVEA can support Asian members in the broader PV industry, including affordable booth space offers at IPVEA-supported industry events such as EU PVSEC.
New IPVEA sales executive for Japan and South Korea IPVEA would like to introduce Kazunori Hayashi who will be recruiting new members, based in Japan and South Korea.
Kazunori (Kaz) Hayashi is founder, president, and principal analyst of Technology Partners Inc (TPI). TPI represents VLSI Research in Japan.
Mr Hayashi has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, specializing in the semiconductor equipment market. Prior to founding TPI, he spent 10 years at Gartner/Dataquest, Marketing and Consulting Division and Director of the Semiconductor Group, Japan. Before that, he co-founded and directed the Semiconductor Analysis Service at Techno System Research.
Mr Hayashi holds a bachelor’s degree from Meiji University in Japan.
In the February issue of Update members we announced a partnership with science and technology publisher Wiley, which has now been finalised.
IPVEA members are entitled to a 25% discount on all Wiley books (journals are excluded from this offer).
Wiley publishes books on fields including photovoltaics, energy storage and energy management technologies.
To see latest relevant texts and see how to obtain the discount, go to http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-811197.html. The dedicated IPVEA page will be updated as latest relevant titles are published.
The January 2012 issue of Wiley’s academic journal Progress in Photovoltaics is free to read – all abstracts can be downloaded. They include the latest solar cell efficiency table, which can be downloaded at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pip.2163/abstract
Please email feedback to [email protected], with Progress in Photovoltaics as the subject.
Swiss PV training course launched
A new PV training programme, offered in the heart of Switzerland, is aimed at engineers and electricians wanting to acquire new competences and practical experiences in the field of solar PV.
The PV Training for Worldwide Professionals is organized by Ecolution Engineering AG in conjunction with Bern University of Applied Sciences and SYSTMPV AG.
The course start date is adapted to the trainee’s needs and possibilities, though a special course at a reduced rate is due to start on 17 September 2012.
Engineers and electricians will need at least a bachelor’s degree. Trainees can take full advantage of the know-how, expertise and infrastructure at Bern University of Applied Sciences, a leading house in research, development and applications in PV. The course is based on one-to-one mentoring, small class sizes and training in the field with local PV companies.
Regular visits to infrastructure applications of renewable energy technology solutions complement the training course.
The course and field training take place in the Canton of Bern, a Swiss cleantech hub and a perfect starting point for excursions to Swiss sites.
PV Training for Worldwide Professionals - ContentsThe training course combines theory and practice. Fundamentals of solar PV technology are teamed with supervised hands-on practical training in solar PV installations and supervised own research. Learning progress is continuously assessed by expert academics and practitioners.
At the end of the course, trainees will be able to plan and build own PV installations based on international standards.
- Technology: Components that make up a PV system and their mode of operation; off- and on-grid technologies; characteristics of generators; storage systems; free-standing and building-integrated systems; laws, standards and guidelines.
- Economics: General and commercial calculation of PV systems.
- Practice: Supervised lab work and field training: design, implementation and inspection of PV installations followed by supervised research on the design of own off-grid PV installation.
- Trips: Weekly excursions to Swiss top sites on applied sustainable energy technologies and leading companies in the Swiss solar PV industry.
To obtain a flyer on the course, which includes course details, programme, fees and application form, contact Ms. Sophie Schudel:
Manz AG is investing in an engineering education programme in India, one of the most promising PV markets.
The German c-Si- and thin-fi lm equipment specialist already has a client base in India and the programme is intended to nurture local PV talent.
The Indian government threw its support behind solar in late 2009 with the ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar mission. According to the programme India aims to generate 20 GW of solar power by 2022; up from 550 MW in spring 2012. “We are well prepared for the lift-off of the Indian market with two whole ranges of highly integrated equipment – one for c-Si and the other for thin-fi lm, where we see potential, especially for CIGS technology”, says Dieter Manz, founder and CEO of Manz AG.
Manz India was set up in 2008. Beside its main offi ce in Delhi, Manz operates local service hubs in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. A new service centre in Pune is also being set up. Therefore, experienced engineers support start-up, installation and service of Manz production systems in all the fast-growing PV industry hubs of India.
Among Manz India’s early customers is Websol Energy Systems of Falta/West Bengal. A pioneer in India’s PV industry, Websol is recognized as one of the leading high-effi ciency and high-quality cell manufacturers and has an installed base of 120 MW Solar PV cells and modules. At Websol, Manz’s back-end line equipped with a High Accuracy Printer (HAP) has been able to achieve high effi ciency and throughput fi gures within a short ramp-up time.
Since 2010, Manz supports private Amity University, just south of New Delhi, with PV manufacturing courses for mechanical and electrical engineers. These activities should soon evolve into an independent degree programme, called ‘Solar Equipment Engineer’.
www.manz.com
Aeg POWer SOluTIONS
AEG Power Solutions expands solar product portfolio with new central inverter
Energy technology and power electronics specialist AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS) has launched a new central inverter with 630 kW performance.
The fi rst central inverter, launched in 2009, already set new standards due to its excellent effi ciency levels of 98.7%. Following on from the success of Protect PV.250 and PV.500, Protect PV.630 represents the next milestone in the range of industrial inverters for multi-MW PV power plants.
Vitronic is a partner company in the Blue Competence sustainability initiative of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).
VDMA’s sustainability initiative is aiming to create a closer network on the topic of sustainability among mechanical and plant engineering companies. In order to become a Blue Competence partner, companies need to fulfi ll clearly defi ned sustainability criteria and standards. Blue Competence thus offers a transparent guide for orientation in looking for companies that develop and produce energy-effi cient and resource-saving solutions and products, and that maintain sustainable actions themselves.
“To Vitronic, sustainability is not just a word that is refl ected only in the environmental management system: it is a core component of our company strategy today. We continue to strive for our solutions to contribute to greater sustainability on the customer’s behalf, too,” said Gerhard Bär, COO at Vitronic.
www.vitronic.com
IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012 | 5
3S Modultec3S Photovoltaics 3-S Swiss Solar Systems AGAbb Automation GmbhAeG Power Solutions GmbhAIS Automation Dresden GmbhAMb Apparate + Maschinenbau GmbhApplied MaterialsASYS Automatisierungssysteme Gmbhbosch Rexroth Mechatronics GmbhbTU International, Inc.buerkle GmbhCh2M hillDay4 eco-tecDecker Anlagenbau GmbhDek Solar GmbhDespatch IndustriesDiamond Materials Tech, IncDr. Schenk Gmbh IndustriemesstechnikDr. Schwab Inspection Technology Gmbhe+h Metrology GmbhFerrotec GmbhGfe Metalle und Materialien GmbhGrenzebach Maschinenbau Gmbhheateflex Corporationhennecke Systems Gmbhhermann otto GmbhICoS Vision SystemsINA lineartechnikInnolas GmbhINTeVACISRA VISIoN AGJonas & Redmann Photovoltaic’s Production Solutions GmbhKitec microelectronic technologie GmbhKlA-TencorKomax Solar AGKuka Systems Corporation North AmericaKuka Systems GmbhlayTec Gmbhleybold optics Gmbhlinde AGlohmann Gmbh & Co. KGloTUS Systems Gmbhlpkf SolarQuipment GmbhlSW Maschinenfabrik Gmbh
MB Wafertec (Meyer Burger Ltd) has established its new production site In Gwatt, Thun. The new headquarters of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd are also located in the same building. The new facility enables the group to consolidate the know-how from 17 locations in and around Thun.
New contact details for all correspondence, are as follows:
The detailed Conference Programme of the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (27th EU PVSEC), 24-28 September 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany, has been published online. The international Scientific Committee reviewed and scored the record number of 1,843 abstracts, applying for presentation, to compose the programme of the world’s leading Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference.
The Conference Programme of the 27th EU PVSEC is structured along the following main topics:
� Material Studies, New Concepts and Ultra-High Efficiency
� Wafer-Based Silicon Solar Cells and Materials Technology
� Thin Film Solar Cells
� Components for PV Systems
� PV Systems
� PV – a Major Electricity Source
The comprehensive conference programme is complemented by a number of additional Parallel Events that offer a deep insight into specific topics and include the most recent scientific, technology, market and business trends. Details on these will be published shortly.
22-23 November 2012Maritim proArte Hotel in Berlin
13Th FOruM SOlArPrAxISThe 13th Forum Solarpraxis, Europe’s leading solar industry conference, will bring industry players into contact with representatives from politics, the financial world, the press and the industry’s suppliers.
On 22-23 November at the Maritim proArte Hotel in Berlin, high-profile speakers will debate about key industry topics such as current legislation, global market trends, component supply and engineering, financing, marketing, quality and energy storage.
In order for all players to gain from the international market development, the 13th Forum Solarpraxis will again place an emphasis on European and non-European markets.
In 2011, more than 800 German and international representatives of the solar sector, its component suppliers, finance, politics and the press attended the 12th Forum Solarpraxis.
Sign up online to ensure your place at this outstanding solar conference!
SpoNSorShip Make use of this opportunity to present your company and its products as a sponsor in the context of the 13th Forum Solarpraxis, through an exhibition stand and/or by having your company’s logo on the conference program and in the conference proceedings.
Call for paperS Do you have an interesting topic for a presentation that would be relevant to the sector? The call for papers will be opened from May 10 to July 6.
www.solarpraxis.de
KeY eVeNTS
IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012 | 7
EVENTS
8 | IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012
A review of SNEC 2012
Made in China
SPECIAL FEATURE SNEC 2012 review
With over 2000 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors it was business as usual at SNEC 2012, despite the downturn and news that tariffs would be imposed on Chinese PV exports to the US.by Sara Ver-Bruggen
IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012 | 9
New tools on show At SNEC 2012, PV equipment providers were promoting new tools and processes for increasing efficiencies of cells, modules and analysis technologies for improving yields. Today, over 95% of PV production occurs in China and Taiwan. And those PV producers that intend to upgrade legacy production lines with tools for making higher efficiency cells and modules are relying heavily on European and US equipment suppliers.
Manufacturers that do not invest in production of higher efficiency solar cells and modules, will not be here in 12 months’ time, says Levien de Legé from Netherlands-based clean energy research institute ECN. ECN has worked closely with equipment suppliers Tempress and RENA to develop a cost-effective n-type solar cell technology, able to achieve 20% efficiencies, with a roadmap of 22%, including standard cell and module production equipment. Yingli is producing n-type PV modules based on ECN’s efforts.
Still, predictions from analysts that this year equipment buying will all be driven by demand for equipment upgrades are taking time to translate into actual sales says VLSI Research’s John West, who attended SNEC 2012 following on from visiting Chinese fabs.
In its latest book-to-bill data for IPVEA members, VLSI Research reports suppliers of PV manufacturing equipment received new orders totalling $374 million in April 2012, while recognizing revenues of $401 million for equipment shipped to customers. The analyst notes that May is the 12th consecutive month where the book-to-bill ratio has been below parity. At some point in the next several months, the industry will need to buy new equipment, but how long this will take is not clear.
Despite the number of Asia-headquartered equipment suppliers at SNEC, vendors’ views are mixed. Some companies see a tougher market, based on less demand and more competition in the form of equipment suppliers from China, Taiwan and other markets. But for many equipment vendors, their customers will not forgo the guarantee of high-quality production technology for an unproven supplier with lower costs.
investing in ChinaIn order to keep costs low and ensure that equipment is priced competitively, many western vendors continue to invest in their Chinese manufacturing and engineering operations, where sourcing materials and commodity components in China, from good, well-chosen suppliers, leverages a cost advantage that cannot be matched
Made in China
Despite the number of
Chinese equipment vendors
at SNEC, EU and US suppliers
have heavily invested in
tools that can increase
efficiencies and enhance fab
productivity and output.
FEATURE
10 | IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012
back home. Turnaround is another advantage, where in China it is feasible to employ many people on a job to get it completed quickly.
Manz, which covers 70% of the value-added chain for c-Si solar cells, recently established its largest plant, worldwide, in Suzhou. The company now employs more people in Asia than it does in Germany. DEK will shortly open a technology centre in China, for demonstration purposes and for process development with customers.
ipVea press conference at SNeCManz, DeK and several other members promoted their latest innovations to the Chinese PV market at the IPVEA press conference held during SNEC. DeK announced its next-generation integrated cell manufacturing metallization platform, Apollo. The automated system optimizes accuracy for Print-on-Print and Selective Emitter processes and offers customers repeatability as well as high performance in a small footprint, single line configuration.
“With new technologies developing on cells, thinner collector arrays becoming a requirement, with selective emitter printing much finer fingers; in order to achieve this we are having to look at finer screen meshes to print the finer features. In turn this drives a requirement for cleaning the screen and also the incoming wafers,” explained Darren Brown, DEK Alternative Energy Global Business Manager. The company is also developing dual print and hybrid screen technologies that result in reduced shadowing to the front side of the cell.
At the press conference Grenzebach’s Heidrun Grycz discussed the company’s equipment for concentrated PV (CPV). “CPV is focus of the business right now as thin film is slow and CPV interest is growing. We have sold 250 MW-worth of CPV capacity, some projects are already realised and some are in the set-up phase.” The company’s CPV equipment includes bottom plate assembly, lens plate manufacturing, test equipment and module assembly.
IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012 | 11
Jonas & redmann’s Dr Stephan Rehbehn, Director Sales/Project Management, discussed the company’s latest automation equipment offering marketed as E.motion. Rehbehn emphasised the importance of reducing breakage rates, when explaining why the company developed a conveyor belt process, to maintain gentler handling as throughput rates increase.
Manz introduced its new wet chemistry tool, designed to remove the highly doped layer from backside and the edges of wafer and produce chemical edge isolation (CEI) and remove the remaining phosphor silicate glass (PSG) layer on the front side of the wafer, created in the previous diffusion process step, and integrating more process steps into one tool, helping to drive down cost per watt in PV production.
At the press conference laytec announced its new in-line metrology system, X Link. The technology is designed to evaluate the level of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) cross-linking directly after lamination. Unlike conventional testing, X Link can test in just a few seconds and can be integrated in any c-Si or thin-film based solar module production line. The system replaces the common coarse gel content test. Isra Vision promoted its EL-based inspection system for cells and module production, designed to increase maximum quality yield by 3%.
Other suppliers of analysis tools are advancing their technologies too. These include Sentech, a supplier of thin film metrology for c-Si solar cells. As the industry moves to double layer stacks of thin films the company is developing a new tool to analyse these complex layer depositions to improve efficiency and passivation, explains Dr Bernd Gruska, Marketing/International Sales Manager at the company. Despite a challenging year, the focus on higher efficiencies at SNEC 2012 could steer the PV industry back on course.
Images: S. Ver-Bruggen
FEATURE
12 | IPVEA UPDATE | JUNE 2012
会员新闻
MANZ
Manz 在印度建立了一个工程项目Manz AG 正在印度投资一个工程教育项目。印度是最有发展前景的光伏市场之一。
Aeg POWer SOluTIONSAEG电源系统有限公司的新逆变器扩大了太阳能产品系列作为能源技术和动力电子设备领域的专家，AEG电源系统有限公司（AEG PS）新研发的逆变器扩大了其产品系列，新的逆变器功率可达630千瓦。该逆变器意味着AEG电源系统有限公司正在向提供高端实用的逆变器的方向迈进。
