Editorial
Editorial Offices
Heather Lackey
Europe Managing Editor, Global Solar Technology
Global Solar Technology
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The polysilicon
United States
Global Solar Technology
PO Box 7579
Naples, FL 34102 problem for CIGS
USA
Tel: (239) 567-9736
news@globalsolartechnology.com MEMC Electronic Materials just revised for other photovoltaic technologies? The
its ten-year silicon wafer supply agreement polysilicon supply shortage—and resulting
China
with Suntech Power, struck in 2006, to high material costs—was one of the factors
Global Solar Technology
reduce the per-wafer price Suntech is paying. leading to renewed work on CIGS and
Electronics Second
MEMC’s revenue won’t change—the volume other thin-film PV technologies in recent
Research Institute
has been increased to offset the new price— years. In the early 1990s, in fact, CIGS was
No.159, Hepin South Road
but it’s a portent of the problems to come. first emerging as an alternative to silicon,
Taiyuan City, PO Box 115, Shanxi,
Polysilicon, historically in short supply, but declining silicon prices held back
Province 030024, China
peaked at development. Now they’re declining again,
Tel: +86 (351) 652 3813
~
$450/kg in mid 2008. As oil
prices and environmental concerns grew, and combined with lower oil prices, which
Editor-in-Chief—Trevor Galbraith so did the solar industry. Existing polysili- reduces demand for alternative energies,
Tel: +44 (0)20 8123 6704 (Europe) con manufacturers and new players on the times in the short run could be tough
Tel: +1 239 567 9736 (US) scene began investing heavily in polysilicon for thin-film PV, and especially tough for
editor@globalsolartechnology.com production—and now the industry faces a CIGS PV, a technology that it had not had
supply significantly exceeding its demand. a chance, before the economic crisis, to
Managing Editor—Heather Lackey
Analysts at Displaybank and Col- reach a point where production volumes
hglackey@globalsolartechnology.com
lins Stewart solar analyst Dan Ries are and costs were competitive.
in agreement that prices on polysilicon Thin-film PV has a number of advan-
Editor—Debasish Choudhury
will plummet to around the $60/kg level; tages over c-Si PV, however: light in weight
Tel: +91 120 6453260
they’re just in disagreement over how soon. and low in bunk they can be applied on a
dchoudhury@globalsolartechnology.com
Displaybank sees the price of solar-cell-use variety of substrates, such plastics, flexible
Circulation and Subscriptions polysilicon reaching $63/kg in 2010; Ries steel and composites. Of the TFPVs, CIGS
Tel: +1 (239) 567 9736 expects it at $60/kg—to as low as $40/ currently has the highest lab, cell, and
subscriptions@globalsolartechnology.com kg—by the middle of this year. In Ries’ module conversion efficiencies—closest of
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scenario, polysilicon surplus will be 26,395 all TFPVs to s-Ci efficiencies. Additionally,
tons in 2009 and climb to 48,785 tons in CIGS performance does not degrade over
Print & Digital - Europe
2010. Oversupply will continue until some long-term exposure to sunlight.
Andy Kellard
production capacity is taken offline. iSup- Although CIGS, like many markets
Tel: +44 7765 277677
pli’s Dr. Henning Wicht maintains that right now, is reaching a slow-down, Nano-
akellard@globalsolartechnology.com
the gap is too large between demand and markets expects the CIGS PV market to
Print - North America supply, and it will remain that way until the pick up again and grow rapidly once the
Lino D’Andreti end of 2010, at which point Displaybank economic crisis is over. In fact, Greentech
Tel: +1 (603) 580-5549 sees another short supply situation is pos- Media analysts predict that CIGS could
ldandreti@globalsolartechnology.com sible as the effects of production capacity supply as much as 12 percent—3 gigawatts
reduction run into the demands of solar worth—of the worldwide supply of solar
Digital - North America
manufacturing investments that have been panels by 2012.
Sandy Daneau
put on the back burner for now, due to the
Tel: +1 (603)-686-3920
current global economic recession. Heather Lackey
sdaneau@globalsolartechnology.com
Long-term the drop in polysilicon
prices is good news for manufacturers
Asia/Pacific
of of crystalline-silicon (c-Si) wafer-based
Print - Debasish Choudhury
solar modules and their customers and
Tel: +91 120 6453260
for solar’s share of the energy pie. Lower
dchoudhury@globalsolartechnology.com
materials costs lead to lower end-product
and energy prices. But what does this mean
2 – Global Solar Technology – November/December 2008 www.globalsolartechnology.com
issue_2.1.indd 2 2/22/09 9:39:41 PM
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