PVMaT Improvements in the BP Solar Photovoltaic Module Manufacturing Technology: Final Subcontract Report, 4 May 1998 - 30 November 2001

Technical Report · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/15000440· OSTI ID:15000440

Wohlgemuth, J; Shea, S

This report describes the advancement of BP Solar PV manufacturing technologies in order to design and implement a process that produces polycrystalline silicon PV modules that can be sold profitably for $2.00 per peak watt or less and that increases the production capacity of the Frederick plant to at least 25 megawatts per year. Achieving these major objectives was based on meeting the following specific task goals: (1) Develop a process to produce silicon feedstock from Na2SiF6 that can be sold profitably for less than $15/kilogram in large quantities. Demonstrate the process in a pilot facility. (2) Optimize and improve control of the casting process to increase the process yield by 7% and to improve material quality such that average cell efficiency increases by 4%. (3) Reduce the center-to-center cut distance on the wire saw to less than 450?mm in production, and develop a wire saw process that reduces the consumable costs by at least $0.05/wafer, that does not require organic cleaners, nor result in generation of hazardous waste material. (4) Develop, demonstrate, and implement a cost-effective cell process that produces a minimum average cell efficiency of 15% and improves the cell line electrical yield by 5% when applied to BP Solar cast polycrystalline silicon wafers. (5) Develop and qualify an encapsulation system that meets all technical and reliability requirements and can be laminated and cured in less than 6 minutes. (6) Improve BP Solar's product and materials handling to increase line yield by 3% and reduce handling labor to save $0.05/watt. (6) Improve process measurement and control in the production line to improve yield by 3% and reduce rework by 50%.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-99-GO10337
• OSTI ID: 15000440
• Report Number(s): NREL/SR-520-32066; ZAX-8-17647-05; TRN: US200325%%273
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 1 Apr 2002; Related Information: Work performed by BP Solar, Frederick, Maryland
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
CAPACITY
CASTING
DESIGN
EFFICIENCY
ENCAPSULATION
MANUFACTURING
MATERIALS HANDLING
PRODUCTION
RELIABILITY
SILICON
WASTES
PV
POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON
SOLIDIFICATION CASTING PROCESS
ETCHED WAFER
THICK FILM PASTE
MODULE LAMINATION
ANTI-REFLECTION COATING
OPTICAL SCATTERING
HEMISPHERICAL SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE
SHORT-CIRCUIT CURRENT
SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROSCOPY
ELLIPSOMETRY
MOISTURE VAPOR TRANSMISSION RATE
ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS-BASED
PVMAT
SOLAR ENERGY - PHOTOVOLTAICS