Magazine Archive 2011

UK: The UK solar PV industry’s growth, sparked by the FIT scheme to incentivize investment in PV energy generation, demands tougher measures to ensure responsible, competent installation.

Open sites: Last year, subsidy for solar installations on agricultural sites in Germany ended, and many project leaders had to put on ice plans which had already been developed. Others, however, secured suitable conversion sites for themselves ahead of time. However, building is often a cumbersome process.

Lamination: The lamination process is often the bottleneck in a PV module production line. Hence, it is time to think about new processes. Ronald F.M. Lange, founder of consulting firm 9-om, describes new concepts for the encapsulation of standard photovoltaic modules.

Stand-alone electricity supply: Today, it’s no longer necessary to use off-grid modules when installing autonomous systems on mountain cabins or in isolated regions of Africa. Thanks to maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controllers, more economical standard modules can also be used.

Drying solar pastes: Drying solar pastes after printing is one of the essential process steps which determines quality in the production of crystalline silicon solar cells. Good drying results are distinguished by excellent adhesion of paste to wafer. In addition to the material characteristics of the paste, drying process parameters, including temperature and time, are important. Various solar pastes were examined comparatively with regard to their drying characteristics during the course of a research project, discussed below by Hans Bell and Florian Vogg of Rehm Thermal Systems, Blaubeuren, Germany.

Interview: Companies as well as the global solar sector as a whole have started to look east with the impressive growth of China and India. Not wanting to be in the shadows of the giants any longer, other Southeast Asian nations are flexing their PV muscles. Thailand, for one, has been increasing its solar activity and now looks ready to establish its place on the global solar map as an attractive and important PV market. pv magazine spoke with one of the leading solar companies, with Solar Power Company’s President Wandee Khunchornyakong, on photovoltaic power’s situation in Thailand.

Module quality: The lamination is one of the most critical processes in current module manufacture, as module lifetime depends on it. Markus Steinkötter from Sunnyside upP, explains why buyers must trust the producers and importers.

Automation in ingot processing: Efficient wafer production starts with the production of silicon bricks. Optimized production with highly stable quality cannot be realized without process automation and robotics, explains Peter Weier of Arnold Group.

Polymer modules: Polymers can not only be used for encapsulating solar modules. Such materials can also be used to substitute classic aluminum frames or module front glasses. Manufactures expect flexible application possibilities and a lower module weight from this.

Germany: A PV and renewable wholesaler has taken its mission and put it into practice, by making its new offices into an environmental example for many other companies to follow.