Citation
(2010), "AT&S and Solland Solar to build prototype production line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb® back-contacted solar cells", Circuit World, Vol. 36 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2010.21736bab.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
AT&S and Solland Solar to build prototype production line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb® back-contacted solar cells
AT&S and Solland Solar to build prototype production line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb® back-contacted solar cells
Article Type: Industry news From: Circuit World, Volume 36, Issue 2
As part of their ongoing technology partnership, AT&S and Solland Solar will build a prototype line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb® back-contacted solar cells. The construction of the prototype line marks a significant milestone on the road to commercial availability later in 2010. The overall goal of the technology partnership between AT&S and Solland Solar is to jointly develop and put into industrial production the innovative back-contact module technology for Sunweb® cells. The technology uses processes and materials that are standard in the PCB industry but are not yet applied in photovoltaics. Solland Solar’s Sunweb® concept enables best in class module efficiency for multi-crystalline silicon solar cells with beautiful visual appearance and low production cost.
In the first year of the partnership, Solland Solar’s basic idea of the Sunweb® back-contacted solar cell was combined with new interconnection and switching technology from AT&S. All components and production processes have been developed accordingly for use in volume production. Extensive tests have been successfully completed, establishing that the project satisfies all the necessary reliability, safety and performance requirements.
The next phase in the project, the construction of a joint prototype production line at AT&S’s Leoben-Hinterberg plant in Austria, is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2010, and will incorporate the results achieved during the last year into the industrial production process. Additional objectives include further optimisation of the production process and certification under IEC 61215 and IEC 61730. Selected reference projects are being implemented in parallel, to highlight the cost effectiveness of the new technology and its advantages in practical operation.
The groundbreaking innovative module concept offers ample scope for further developments to increase efficiency and lower cost of solar energy. AT&S and Solland Solar are working intensively together to exploit this potential.
For more information, please visit: www.ats.net