Cast Polycrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module Manufacturing Technology Improvements: Semiannual Subcontract Report, 8 December 1993 - 30 June 1994
This report describes work done under a 3-year program to advance Solarex`s cast polycrystalline silicon manufacturing technology, reduce module production cost, increase module performance, and expand Solarex`s commercial production capacities. The accomplishments described in this report are as follows: (1) the authors designed modifications to casting stations, ceramic molds, and sizing saws to allow for casting and sizing of larger ingots; (2) they demonstrated the casting of ingots with 17% larger volume; (3) the selected and purchased a new wire saw from HCT Shaping Systems; (4) they demonstrated wafering of eight bricks (2,400 wafers or {approximately}4.4 kilowatts at the cell level) in a 6.5-h run; (5) they demonstrated 14% average cell efficiency in the laboratory using an aluminum paste back surface field; (6) the Automation and Robotics Research Institute (ARRI) completed a modeling study of the Solarex module assembly process; (7) they identified and qualified three new lower-cost back sheet materials through accelerated environmental tests; and (8) they designed and built a test structure for mounting frameless modules, and selected two adhesives and began testing their ability to hold modules to the structure.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 41346
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/TP-411-7497; ON: DE95004065; TRN: AHC29512%%84
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Mar 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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