Chinese Conquer the Solar Market

Race for efficiency
However, the German PV industry is not completely without a chance in international competition, as solar knowledge is available in abundance. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg and the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin (ISFH), for example, are constantly creating new concepts for silicon cells with high levels of efficiency, working with the industry on their commercialisation. In addition, corporations such as Bosch, Q-Cells and Solarworld invest many millions of Euros in their in-house research and development every year. This gives reason to hope for an explosion of innovation from German companies soon.

In this way, Bosch is working on a Metal-Wrap-Through (MWT) cell made from monocrystalline silicon, on which the front current collector rails are moved to the reverse side. As a result, the front has less shadow and increases the efficiency. Q-Cells wants to introduce a new generation multicrystalline cell in 2010. Although produced to conventional standards within the industry, it achieves 17 percent efficiency in tests and will be even more improved by the start of series production. For comparison: Q-Cells multicrystalline standard cells currently achieve 14.1 to 16.4 percent efficiency. The advances in the thin-film sector are even greater: The Q-Cells subsidiary Solibro recently presented a module made of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) with an efficiency of 12.3 percent – no other series-produced CIGS panel achieves more efficiency. On the other hand, Bosch wants to expand its product portfolio with a micromorphous thin-film module. In contrast to the predecessor, which only consists of a layer of amorphous silicon, the new type will consist of two sheer silicon layers being separated by glass, through which more light is absorbed.

In the meantime, Solarworld is still concerned by overriding issues: Corporation boss Asbeck is fighting for the EEG or ranting against cheap Chinese suppliers. However, even Germany’s leading PV corporation is advancing technically: In Freiberg, Solarworld states that it is currently building a “technology campus, the only one of its kind anywhere in Europe”: On this site, a new cell and module research centre is being built, where the “technologies of tomorrow” will be developed from 2010.

Sascha Rentzing