ENERGY PRODUCTION


Laser processing in energy production


www.lasersystemseurope.com/industries/energy-production


With the urgent need to move away from fossil fuels, the energy production sector is undergoing rapid evolution


Solar power is becoming a major player in various countries’ energy strategies, and is the fastest growing clean energy technology in the EU. During


2020, solar provided 5.2% of the EU’s electricity[1]


, for example,


and has become the most competitive electricity source in many EU regions thanks to its cost decreasing by 82% over the last 10 years. According to data from energy think tank Ember[2]


, wind power


and solar energy combined generated 22% of the EU’s electricity in 2022, meaning that these two renewables overtook fossil gas (20%) and coal power (16%) for electricity


generation for the first time. Meanwhile, in the UK, National Grid figures[3]


show that in


2022 26.8% of the UK’s total electricity generation came from wind turbines, and in 2020 the UK reached a point where 43% of its generated power came from renewable energy sources, specifically wind, solar, bioenergy and hydroelectric. The continuing growth of renewable energy is presenting increasing opportunities for laser processing techniques.


For example, laser processing is used in the manufacturing of the electronic parts of solar cells, simplifying and reducing the cost of production. Meanwhile the materials used to make wind turbine blades can be lined up within their moulds with the help of laser projectors, which enables time and cost savings as well as prolonging the service life of the blades due to increased accuracy. Various laser machining processes are also used in the manufacturing


Lasers are used to process silicon in the manufacture of solar cells 22 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE THE 2023 GUIDE TO LASER SYSTEMS @LASERSYSTEMSMAG | WWW.LASERSYSTEMSEUROPE.COM


Shutterstock/Diyana Dimitrova


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