MANUFACTURINGMATERIALS
the yield while reducing consumption levels. Suppliers of thin-film production equipment such as Applied Materials or Von Ardenne offer machines that apply the absorber material faster to larger surfaces. Machinery manufacturers specialised in crystalline systems such as Schmid supply plants that can process thinner silicon wafers. And there are also more and more recycling specialists that offer their services to PV. For instance, the Italian company Saita has recently begun offering cell producers a system that recycles 96 % of the process water for reuse in a closed loop system. This reduces the fresh water requirements for cell production by 75%, explains Marketing Manager Carlo Enrico Martini who goes on to say that thanks to this recycling no waste water ends up in the sewage system.
Berlin factory planner ib vogt goes even one step further: he has developed a so-called “Greenfab” that is built and operated ecologically. It can produce up to one GW of solar energy. The energy required, explains Project Manager Lino Garcia, is generated by solar or geothermal systems on site. Waste heat is used for heating and cooling. Less dirty water ends up in the sewage system since a
large proportion is recovered. Integrated logistics and transport concepts shorten distances and also boost energy efficiency. This means solar system manufacturers can kill several birds with one stone with “Greenfab”: large amounts of PV technology are produced efficiently and cleanly. Some of their green innovations and approaches will be presented by the suppliers from 28 September to 1 October 2010 at the Trade Fair for Solar Production Equipment, solarpeq, in Düsseldorf. Held in parallel, glasstec, the leading international trade fair for the glass industry, offers the relevant solutions for solar glass.
However, as big as the benefits of green fabrication are – the eco-breakthrough is a gradual rather than a sudden one. Though developed three years ago, ib vogt has not sold a single complete “Greenfab” yet according to Garcia but always just single, ecologically very critical manufacturing components such as concepts for waste-water recycling. “In contrast to the chip industry PV has not embarked upon the green manufacturing voyage yet,” says Carlos Lee of SEMI, the global semi-conductor association.
Green in Small Doses
Gas for PV: The solar system producers are now among the key customers of gas specialist Linde. (Photo: Linde)
So what is inhibiting the breakthrough of Triple Green in the solar sector? A decisive aspect is the high investment required for sustainable production. A Greenfab with one GW capacity is “definitely somewhat more expensive” than a regular 1 GW factory, explains Garcia. This
“Silicon bakery”: Employees at the silicon and wafer manufacturer PV Crystalox charge crystal-growing furnaces with raw silicon. Here the material is molten, freed from impurities and then solidifies at a controlled rate. (Photo: PV Crystalox)
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www.solar-pv-management.com Issue VI 2010
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