SIChina: Do you think Chinese enterprises to enter the thin-film solar PV market, where the starting point?
Sun Haiyan: We first of all from the perspective of industry chain to talk about why to enter the thin-film solar cells: First, thin-film solar energy has a cost advantage; Second, the thermal expansion coefficient of less widely used. Again, China has to enter the thin-film solar industry advantage. Because the cost of thin-film solar cell structure, raw material of glass accounts for about 40%, while domestic glass production is the world’s largest, relatively low raw material prices. The same time, domestic enterprises with a rich talent pool, these people including those from the semiconductor, FPD and electronic industries. With the semiconductor and flat panel display industry, compared to thin-film solar cell equipment and funding requirements, relatively low technology threshold, if our goal is 0.7 U.S. dollars per watt, then certainly the middle of a dessert place, the key to see how you do.
SIChina:: Can analysis
Thin-film solar cell technology go?
Sun Haiyan: thin-film batteries already has 30 years of history, by the transformation efficiency of the restrictions, in the past did not form a large-scale production of thin-film batteries to open up the market. In the past two-junction amorphous silicon thin film solar cell conversion efficiency is only about 5%, plus packaging technology is also problematic, so the cost advantage of thin-film batteries can not be seen. The current industry began to enter the thin-film solar cell mass production phase. Oerlikon now in full swing in 2002 into microcrystalline amorphous plus project, using this technique, after the initial decay after the conversion efficiency is expected to reach 10% or more, at present, we can ensure that clients achieve the 9.3% conversion efficiency. Through the device upgrade process from the amorphous process can be upgraded to increase microcrystalline amorphous process. Thin-film solar cells bottleneck lies in the future: First, how to improve the conversion efficiency; the second is how to improve its manufacturing efficiency, Oerlikon their clients to jointly build a database, for the equipment, the company is concerned, lower TackTime time is very important, that is, reduced production per unit module’s time; The third is to form a scale effect, through the overall control to achieve cost-effectiveness.
SIChina:: As the world’s first thin-film solar modules to provide Turn-Key services, manufacturers, do you think of this Turn-Key model of thin-film batteries will give the domestic development of the industry What are the effects? As the manufacturer of the technology mainly depends on the equipment suppliers, will result in customer products have no difference?
Hai-Yan Sun: At present, thin-film solar cells rely mainly on process equipment suppliers. The Oerlikon development process through the laboratory, pilot line and then to mass production, we recommend that large customers to buy product also bought the entire line of 1:1 in the test line. 1; 1 pilot online customers increased efficiency in the conversion there is still a lot of space. Can be 1; a pilot test of the success of the process menu transplanted directly into the production line. Thin-film battery has just started a large-scale industrialization, and now has not got to take into account when the product differentiation, each solution has the market for Oerlickon, we are pursuing is not a big size, and the first production line maturity. An important sign is the international certification by TUV and so on. Oerlikon amorphous silicon modules in 2006, has been TUV certified, and more recently the production process through the use of their own TCO module TUV certification, this could make the products to customers quickly enter the market. In addition, the high conversion efficiency is our goal to pursue. The maturity of the existing platform can be upgraded to increase the conversion efficiency of the battery. Process from the amorphous to microcrystalline amorphous plus technology in the future may be added between an amorphous and microcrystalline intermediate layer to increase the degree of light absorption to improve transformation efficiency, the production line can be constantly upgraded with the upgrade process, only have equipment can be subsequently upgraded, so the production line efficiency, reduce the cost.
SIChina: Do you think thin-film solar cells with silicon-based solar cells to rival the advent of an era when?
Sun Haiyan: We estimate the global solar PV market will grow from 2000 to 1 billion U.S. dollars by 2015 expanded to 150 billion U.S. dollars, while the thin-film market share may be increased from 2% to 52%, surpassing crystalline silicon solar cells, become the mainstream.
Dr. Sun Haiyan Biography:
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology University of Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, Dr of Economics and Management Master of Business School;
Oerlikon Solar business unit general manager of Asian marketing, Oerlikon Solar Asia Business Development Manager, Flat Panel Display Business Unit Oerlikon Taiwan and China Account Manager, General Manager and other staff;
Global Semiconductor Industry Association China Photovoltaic Solar Energy Committee, Vice-Chairman, Shanghai, China New Energy Industry Association and China LCD Association;
2008 South Korea DisplayBank solar forum speakers, 2008 China’s first four sessions of the General Assembly of silicon photovoltaic materials and speakers, 2008 Singapore and the semiconductor and the 2008 Summit Forum of China’s semiconductor thin-film solar speakers and presenters, 2008 EU-China Forum on thin-film solar branch of the host 2008 Shenzhen PhotonAcademy conference speaker; 2007 Shanghai, China, and Taiwan Semiconductor Solar Energy Forum in Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing Sino-German Solar Energy Forum and the World Solar Energy Conference Speakers; 2006 Beijing Great Wall Renewable Energy Conference speakers and so on.