Green Manufacturing
Delivering a major step forward in sustainable solar power,
Malibu has launched the world's first thin-film solar module factory that
completely eliminates the use of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a greenhouse gas
with a significant global warming potential, from the manufacturing process.
Working in close collaboration with researchers from technology provider Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, scientists at Malibu's development centre in Bielefeld, Germany, have developed an improved cleaning process using on-site generated fluorine (F2) made with Linde's patented technology. As a result, the carbon payback time - the time it takes the use of solar panels to offset the environmental impact of their manufacture - is reduced by up to one year. This improved process will now be rolled out to their new 40MW production facility in Osterweddingen, Germany.
Dean O'Connor, Head of Market Development & Technology
at Linde Gases Division, said: “Linde and Malibu have clearly demonstrated their leadership and foresight in helping the thin-film PV industry to reach a
watershed moment. Green energy will only be truly green when the entire supply
and manufacturing chain works together to minimise environmental impact.”
According to Konrad Kaiser, General Manager Malibu, “Not
only does the F2 cleaning process eliminate a major source of potential
greenhouse gas emissions for our thin-film solar panels, it also speeds our
processing and uses less material. This improves the overall
sustainability of our product by reducing both environmental impact and
manufacturing costs.”
In 2008, Linde and Malibu established their Joint Development Programme for the development of advanced material technology to improve cell efficiency, throughput and yield. F2 cleaning is the first of a number of material-based processes to emerge from their successful collaboration. NF3 and other fluorine compounds, such as
sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), are used to clean the process tools that make the
important silicon photovoltaic layers in thin-film solar modules.
