MANUFACTURINGOUTLOOK
on, it will disseminate into commercial and eventually central installations. Today, there is no separate smart PV systems segment in the market, and we can envision that the emerging smart PV systems segment will supply part of the overall PV market growth without competing head to head for market share with the existing PV cell and module manufacturers. In other words, the PV market pie gets considerably bigger and can accommodate more specialized players in a relatively benign competitive environment.
The introduction of the smart PV systems is not seen as a disruptive innovation that will alter fundamentally the value chain as it is perceived today. Smart PV systems can be seen more as a sustaining innovation which enhances features that are already desirable today by the end users for the final applications. Therefore, the PV market value chain will remain the same also after the introduction of the smart PV systems. The main difference will lie in the components that add the most value to the module manufacturers.
Conclusion For years now, the central focus of the PV industry has been on reducing the cost per installed Wp. This evolution will undoubtedly persist if we want to ensure economic competitiveness of photovoltaic electricity with conventional power plants. Recently, a new trend has emerged that involves the increase of the energy yield of the PV modules. This can be done by either extending the operational lifetime of the modules, necessitating the development of ageing models, or by enhancing their yearly production. An example of the latter is the deployment of distributed
The introduction of the smart PV systems is not seen as a disruptive innovation that will alter fundamentally the value chain as it is perceived today. Smart PV systems can be seen more as a sustaining innovation which enhances features that are already desirable today by the end users for the final applications
converters at the module level, that aim to optimize the energy yield in real-life situations where cells and modules do not all produce exactly the same amount of power (for example in partially shadowed modules).
This evolution requires an appropriate technology to integrate the smart components at module level. At the same time, we expect drastic modifications in cell manufacturing and module integration processes, driven by the evolution towards thin back-contacted solar cells. These evolutions call for a novel approach that allows combining the cell process, the intercell metallization and the embedding of additional components inside modules in one integrated process flow. It is expected that these innovations will give birth to reconfigurable smart PV modules that will link up with the smart electricity grid of the future.
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REFERENCES [1] K. Baert et al, ‘Crystalline Si solar cells and the microelectronics experience’, Solid State Technology, August 2009. [2] R. Swanson, ‘Solar cells at the cusp’, 19th Int. Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference, November 9-13, 2009, Jeju, Korea.
[3] J. Poortmans et al, ‘Linking nanotechnology to GigaWatts: creating building blocks for smart PV-modules’, 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference 2010.
[4] SolarMagic:
http://www.solarmagic.com/ [5] SolarEdge:
http://www.solaredge.com/ [6] Enphase Energy:
http://www.enphaseenergy.com/ [7] Enecsys:
http://www.enecsys.com/ [8] J. Evertset al., ‘A hard switching VIENNA boost converter for characterization of AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN power DHFETs’, Proc. PCIM 2010.
[9]
http://www.microsemi.com/datasheets/LX2400.pdf [10] J. Govaerts et al., ‘Developing an advanced module for back-contact solar cells’, submitted for IEEE Trans. On Advanced Packaging.
[11] D. Rose et al., ‘Development and manufacture of reliable PV modules with >17% efficiency’, Proceedings of the 20th EUPVSEC, 2005.
[12] P.C. De Jong et al., ‘Single-step laminated full-size PV modules made with back-contacted mc-Si cells and conductive adhesives’, Proceedings of the 19th EUPVSEC, 2004.
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