Why is this Course Important?

SOLA2020/SOLA9006
Photovoltaic
i Technology
and Manufacturing
Need lots of good PV
engineers
Lecture 1 – Course Introduction
Dr Alison Lennon
(Senior Lecturer, School of Photovoltaic and
Renewable Energy Engineering)

http://www.grist.org/article/mckinsey-on-the-economics-of-solar/

Course Coordinator Course Tutors

Dr Alison Lennon • Head Tutor: Adeline Sugianto
Room 106
106, Electrical Engineering Building – Room G12c
G12c, Electrical Engineering Building
Phone: 9385 7942 – Phone: 9385 5246
Email: [email protected] – Email: [email protected]

Lecturers Prof. Stuart Wenham (CTO Suntech), Inventor of BC

cell, Winner Clunies Ross Award winner (2008). Lots
of other awards, fantastic lecturer….
• Tutors
– Professor Stuart Wenham – Adeline Sugianto Alex Han
– Dr Alison Lennon – Catherine Chan John Rodriquez
– pp (PhD
Nicole Kuepper ( Student,, 1st ggen Group)
p) – Phil Hamer Doris Lu
– Adeline Sugianto (PhD Student, 1st gen Group) – Yu Yao Rob Dumbrell
– Yael Argarten (PhD Student, PLGroup)
– David Jordan (ex BP Solar, Director of Business
Development, Fac. Engineering, UNSW),
– CSG Solar - TBD

1
 Course Outline Course Schedule
• See Course Outline on Blackboard • Lecture
– Tuesdays 12-2pm
• Tutorials
– Too many to list – See timetable, course outline
• Special focus on the manufacturing process of the – Start in Wk 2
industrially dominant screen-printed Si solar cell.
• First 6-7
6 7 wks • Consultation Hours
• Series of VPL laboratory sessions to reinforce knowledge – Your tutorial
and teach you how to optimise processes
• Manufacturing processes and quality control – Discussion board
• Higher efficiency and thin film cells – Alison Lennon: Rm 106: Tuesdays 2-4pm
• Cost modelling and commercial experiences

Lecture Outline Virtual Production Line (VPL)

• Week 1: Introduction to commercial PV technologies, Silicon crystal
• Simulates a standard screen-printing manufacturing
growth and wafer sawing
• Week 2: Wet chemistry – wafer cleaning and texturing
line.
line
• Week 3: Diffusion • Written by Stuart Wenham and Anna Bruce.
• Week 4: Edge isolation, antireflection coating and surface passivation • Available on all computers in 416 and 455.
• Week 5: Metallisation – silver and aluminium screen printing and firing
• Week 6: Cell sorting and module fabrication
• Can be downloaded onto laptops for student use.
• Week 7: Production line equipment
• Week 8: Manufacturing processes, quality control, PL Imaging
• Week 9: Higher efficiency commercial solar cell technologies
• Week 10: Thin-film commercial solar cell technologies, CSG Solar Exp
• Week 11: Cost modelling, BP Solar’s BC Manufacturing Exp
• Week 12: Environmental impact of PV technologies & emerging trends;
discussion about exam material.

2
 VPL Tutorials/Labs Assessment
Task Due Date Weighting
• Based on VPL
VPL Labs/Tute Wks 3-8 10%
• 6 Mini-Assignments Quizzes
– Vary parameters for ONE process Minor 5 pm Fri Wk 7 10%
• Worth 10% of final mark Assignment

g
• 2 Marks for each assignment Major
j 5p
pm Fri Wk 12 20%
– Achieve certain efficiency Æ 1 Mark Assignment

– Answer quick quiz Æ 1 Mark Final Exam TBA 60%

Assignments Blackboard
• http://lms-blackboard.telt.unsw.edu.au
• Minor Assignment • Logg onto SOLA2020/9006
– Selection of questions on SP solar cell manufacture
• Major Assignment Plagiarism
– Optimise a production line on VPL • Don’t do it!
– Tutorials will be very useful!
• Assignments to be submitted via Blackboard
References
– Paper-free
p if p
possible!! • VPL Help Files
• Applied Photovoltaics – Blue Book
• Solar Cells – Red Book
• High Efficiency Solar Cells – Green Book
• http://pvcdrom.pveducation.org/

3
 Questions? Today’s Lecture

• PV Market
• Manufacture of SP Solar Cells – Overview

Short Break

• Silicon Crystal Growth and Wafer sawing (Nicole)

PV Installed Capacity 2008 Installations by Country

Source: M+W Zander US Operations (2009), Inc. “The Solar Industry at a Glance”

• Sources of market information

– Photon International magazine, EPIA
– http://www.solarbuzz.com, http://solarpv.tv/

4
 PV Prices Price Trends
• PV prices have declined on average 4% per annum over
the past 15 years.
• Solar module prices have dropped from ~ US$27/Wp in
1982 to around US$4/Wp today.
• Target is US$1/Wp
– Feb 2010 - 393 PV module prices < US$4.00/Wp (€2.80 /Wp)
– Lowest Feb 2010 retail prices (for system ≥ 125 W):
• mc-Si module is US$1.98/Wp
• c-Sii module
d l is
i US$2.37/Wp
$ /
• Thin film module price remains at US$1.76/Wp
• Rule of thumb - the solar module represents 40-50% of When prices are falling quickly, purchasers often delay their decision
the total installed cost of a PV system. making. A slowdown in the price decline will itself, therefore, be a
– Total installed cost depends on application (on-grid, off-grid). stimulant to market demand.

Growing Competiveness of PV Forecast of Top-10 Suppliers of Solar

Cells in 2009
Ranking by Production in Megawatts (MW)
Source: iSuppli, USA, Sept. 2009

Source: iSuppli, USA, Sept. 2009

5
 Technology Shares 2007 Conversion Efficiencies

Module Efficiency & Si Consumption Screen-Printed Si Solar Cells

• Most dominant solar cell technology.
• First developed in the 1970
1970’ss.
• Success largely due to:
• Reasonable efficiencies
• Relatively simple manufacturing process that can be applied to
c-Si and mc-Si wafers.

Source: EPIA (From Green 1995)

6
 Screen-Printed Cells Market Share Screen-Printed Si Solar Cells
Saw-damage removal

Texturing
e u g

Emitter diffusion

PSG Removal

Edge isolation

SiNx antireflection coating

Al rear SP

Ag front contact SP

Co-firing

Automated vs Labour Extra Stuff!

http://solarpv.tv/watch/25th
http://solarpv tv/watch/25th-news
news.html
html
http://www.suntech-
power.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=1
29&lang=en