32 rEnEwABlE EnErgy
Photovoltaic process specification
helps cut solar cell production costs
Photovoltaic component
specification to help
reduce solar cell
manufacturing costs.
John Baxter and Al
Bousetta report.
Especificación
de componentes
fotovoltaicos para
ayudar a reducir los
costes de fabricación de
las placas solares. John
Baxter y Al Bousetta
informan.
Spezifikationen für
Photovoltaik-
Komponenten helfen
bei der Senkung der
global push to reduce dependency Fig. 1. Maintaining componet cleanliness is vital in
Herstellungskosten von
A
on non-renewable energy sources the production of solar cells.
Solarzellen. Ein Bericht is driving increased demand for
von John Baxter und Al
photovoltaic (PV) technologies.
Bousetta.
However, the promise of solar power becoming a subjected to UHP manufacturing and cleaning
leading source of renewable energy is hampered protocols. But, such components introduce risks,
by the high cost of solar cell production. To such as downtime due to contamination and
prosper, this market must become competitive potential system integrity issues.
with the cost of more traditional electric power. A solution to this dilemma is a component
That means reducing the cost of solar power processing standard that is specifically designed
to achieve grid parity between solar power and for the PV industry. Swagelok Company has
traditional electricity. taken a first step towards reaching this type of
One means of reducing costs is to match standard by issuing a new Photovoltaic Process
standards for component cleanliness and Specification. The specification matches testing,
purity with the true process requirements for cleaning, and packaging steps for stainless steel
the production of solar cells. Thus far, the components to the needs of the PV industry.
PV industry has looked to the semiconductor Swagelok’s Photovoltaic Process Specification
industry for standards but, in reality, UHP supports the industry’s effort to establish specific
semiconductor standards are typically well beyond guidelines to help facilitate market growth. The
what is required for solar cell manufacturing. SEMI Photovoltaic Committee is also currently
Solar cell manufacturers are learning that investigating and addressing specifications
when they utilise components rated for UHP related directly to the PV fabrication market.
semiconductor processing they are, in many Based on the company’s work with several PV
cases, over-specifying their components. UHP manufacturers, the Swagelok specification shares
components demand a price premium due to the policies and procedures for the manufacturing of
highly controlled manufacturing and cleaning fluid system components at a level of cleanliness
protocols used in their production, which may that meets – but does not unduly exceed – the
exceed those required for PV components. To requirements of today’s PV manufacturers. The
date, the alternative to UHP components is ‘non- specification helps decrease total PV system costs
qualified’ components, which in the context of compared to UHP semiconductor systems by
this article are defined as products that are not reducing component manufacturing steps.
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