Jan 23 2010
Solland Solar and AT&S, through their technology partnership are together planning to build a prototype line for photovoltaic modules with Sunweb back-contacted solar cells. Construction of this prototype is an important advancement for the commercial availability later in the year 2010.
The processes and materials used in the technology are standard in the printed circuit board industry, though they are still not used in photovoltaic. The Sunweb concept of Solland Solar helps in bringing out the best in module efficiency for multi-crystalline silicon cells with a pleasant appearance and reduced production cost.
During the first year of this technology partnership, Solland Solar’s central idea of the Sunweb(R) back-contacted solar cell was incorporated with the interconnection and switching technology from AT&S. Development of the components and the production processes was carried out for use in volume production. Successful tests have proved that the project satisfies the vital safety, performance and reliability requirements.
The construction of a joint prototype production line at Leoben-Hinterberg plant in Austria falls under the next phase of this project. The construction of this joint prototype production line is expected to be completed by the summer of the year 2010 and the 2009 results will be included into the industrial production process.
Certification under IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 and further improvement of the production process are the additional objectives that have been included. Reference projects are also carried out simultaneously to highlight the advantages and cost effectiveness of this new technology. This new module provides sufficient opportunity for future developments to reduce the cost of solar energy and increase efficiency.