News Article
Q Cells Get Top Marks
Australian desert testing site reveals positive results for German company
Q-Cells SE, a provider of PV solutions, has received positive feedback on harsh testing of its products. On the test field in Alice Springs, run by the renowned Australian 'Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre” (DKASC) the Q-Cells solar module Q.SMART (CIGS thin-film technology) and a prototype of the Q-Cells solar modules Q.PRO and Q.BASE (polysilicon technology) achieved peak performances under extreme climate conditions.
DKASC is an independent test centre for solar energy systems financed by the Australian government. Due to the dry desert climate, the test conditions in the test centre located in Central Australia are among the most demanding worldwide. On the test field in Alice Springs test, the performances of more than a dozen leading European, Asian and American manufacturers are tested under identical conditions. Q-Cells is the only German company represented with its modules in the Australian desert.
During the period from August 2010 to January 2011, the power output of the Q.SMART (CIGS thin film technology) solar module was measured at a test field in Alice Springs, along with several similarly sized thin-film systems. With an average energy yield of 5.8 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt-peak per day (KWh/KWp/day), the module emerged as one of the leading performers from the mentioned test period. The average output of systems from leading international manufacturers with a similar system configuration ranged between 5.1 and 5.3 KWh/KWp/day.
'We are pleased that our Q.SMART modules further on belong to the most high-performance solar modules in an international comparison”, says Lars Stolt, Chief Technology Officer at Solibro, a subsidiary of Q-Cells SE for the CIGS technology.
In a test of crystalline solar modules, a prototype of the multi-crystalline Q-Cells solar modules Q.PRO and Q.BASE also performed extremely well. During the period from March 2010 to January 2011, the QC-05 prototype module achieved an average energy yield of 5.3 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt-peak per day. In the specified test period, the average output of systems with a similar system configuration ranged from 4.6 to 5.1 KWh/KWp/day. On the basis of the QC-05 module, Q-Cells will launch a new generation of Q.PRO and Q.BASE modules with a higher performance in all key markets of Q-Cells SE in 2011.
With the convincing test results, Q-Cells is once again setting the benchmark with respect to technological leadership. 'We are pleased that the high level of quality at Q-Cells is also reflected in independent tests,' says Peter Wawer, Senior Vice President Technology at Q-Cells. 'The test results show that our products hold a technologically leading position. We assume that the Q-Cells solar modules will also achieve positive test results in the long term.'
From a strategic point of view, these excellent test results also prove that Q-Cells is focusing on the right technologies. In addition to the silicon-based modules, the CIGS thin-film technology plays an important role. With its cost-effective production and high levels of efficiency, the CIGS process is very convincing. The modules are characterised by excellent performance under various geographic conditions and, thanks to their appealing aesthetics, are ideally suited for architecturally demanding applications. As early as in June 2010, Q-Cells had produced its first Q.SMART module (CIGS thin-film technology), which achieved a world-record-breaking efficiency factor of 13%.
