skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Low cost solar array project. Quarterly progress report, January-March 1980

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5277176· OSTI ID:5277176

The overall objective of the LSA Silicon Material Task is to establish a chemical process for producing silicon at a rate and rice commensurate with the production goals of the LSA project for solar-cell modules. As part of -- overall Silicon Material Task, Union Carbide developed the silane-silicon process and advanced the technology to the point where it has a definite potential for providing high-purity polysilicon on a commercial scale at a price of $14/kg by 1986 (1980 dollars). This work, completed under Phases I and II of the contract, provided a firm base for the Phase III program (initiated in April 1979) aimed at establishing the practicality of the process by pursuing the following specific objectives: (1) design, fabricate, install, and operate an Experimental Process System Development Unit (EPSDU) sized for 100 MT/Yr to obtain extensive performance data to establish the data base for the design of commercial facilities; (2) perform support research and development to provide an information base usable for the EPSDU and for technological design and economic analysis for potential scale-up of the process; and (3) perform iterative economic analyses of the estimated product cost for the production of semiconductor-grade silicon in a facility capably of producing 1000 MT/Yr. Progress is repoted in detail. (WHK)

Research Organization:
Union Carbide Corp., Tonawanda, NY (USA). Linde Div.
DOE Contract Number:
NAS-7-1P0-954334
OSTI ID:
5277176
Report Number(s):
DOE/JPL/954334-79/14
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English