International Technology Roadmap to be released in China
The new edition of the SEMI International Technology Roadmap for PV (ITRPV) will be presented and released on April 29, 2015 in Shanghai, China, followed by a presentation on 11 June 2015 during Intersolar Europe in Munich, Germany. It will be the first time that the report will be created with the support of two new co-chairs from Taiwan "” Dr. Andy Luan, Neo Solar Power Corp (NSP) and Dr. Kirin Wang, Motech. The 2015 edition of the document focuses on crystalline silicon manufacturing. With more than 60 contributors from leading institutes, equipment and materials suppliers as well as cell and module manufacturers, the ITRPV continues to be the leading technical manufacturing guideline for the crystalline silicon PV industry.
The next edition will focus on equipment throughput, availability (including uptime and downtime), a stronger perspective on Balance of System (BOS) parameters as well as a more diversified view on different cell types and technologies. With installations increasing rapidly around the globe, the importance of technology in the production of wafers, cells and modules is critically important. While the pressure on margins will remain, PV equipment and material suppliers play an important role in PV advancements. At all of SEMI's 2014 PV workshops, standards meetings and PV Forums in Europe, Asia and the U.S., the conclusion was the same "” a regular, global dialogue among suppliers and manufacturers is needed to keep products and processes at the "state-of-the-art" level and compete successfully and sustainably on a global level.
With the addition of the two new co-chairs, there are now seven co-chairs leading the ITRPV group: Taiwan (Motech and NSP), Europe (Hanwha Q-Cells and h.a.l.m. elektronik), China (JA Solar and Canadian Solar) and the U.S. (REC Silicon). In addition, efforts were made to strengthen participation in the working group along the supply chain over the last few months "” ensuring accuracy and reliability of the technical parameters. The list of global contributors to the ITRPV "” in addition to the co-chairs "” includes Applied Materials, BESI, Ducatt, ECN, Fraunhofer IPA, GD Solar, Gintech, Hareon Solar, Helios Electro, Heraeus, Komax Solar, LDK Solar, LONGi Silicon, Meyer Burger, Pillar, PVA TePla, RCT Solutions, RENA, Sonon, Suntech Power, TOTAL New Energy, and Technology K.
Andy Luan Ph.D., director of R&D Division III and Key Customer Product Alignment Program at NSP, a working group member since 2013, is now a co-chair of the ITRPV group. Luan said, "ITRPV has been a valuable tool in aligning the progress of the PV industry. Steered by an experienced SEMI team, with global industrial input, ITRPV plays an important role as we move toward a future of clean and renewable energy. As a global PV player, we are glad to join this very important activity. "
Dr. Kirin Wang , senior director of General Technology Development Division of Motech, latest co-chair of the ITRPV, "As Motech strives to be the leading manufacturer of solar cells, and to provide the best products to the customers, it is critically important for us to stay on top of the technology development up and down the PV supply chain. ITRPV is important because it provides valuable input for effective allocation of TD resources."
The ITRPV editions focus on:
"¢ Materials (e.g. n-type, p-type, mono-like vs. high-performing mc-Si)
"¢ Technologies that enable new products such as glass-to-glass modules, bi-facial modules
"¢ Strong focus on the needs of equipment suppliers
"¢ Perspectives of leading research institutes on different technologies and manufacturing processes
"¢ The analysis of PV systems allows a look into the cost structure (from module, inverter, wiring, mounting and ground) of systems in the various countries.
A version of the latest publication of the ITRPV is available at www.itrpv.net.The next update of the ITRPV will be officially released and presented on 29 April 2015 in Shanghai, China during the SNEC PV Power Expo 2015, followed by a presentation on 11 June 2015 during Intersolar Europe (June 9-12) in Munich, Germany.
