Automated array assembly. Quarterly report No. 5. [Cost analysis and factory design]

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5202760· OSTI ID:5202760

D'Aiello, R. V.

During this quarter, an interim 1982 factory was designed for the large-scale production of silicon solar cell array modules. The boundary conditions for this design are the use of Czochralski silicon crystals and $25/kg polycrystalline silicon. The objective is a large-scale production facility to meet an intermediate ERDA cost goal of $2.00/W in 1982. The approach was to first consider a panel design which could be expected to have a 20-year life and would also meet the JPL specification on mechanical, electrical, and environmental stability. Attention was then directed to a cost analysis of the production of the elements comprising this panel. Since it was expected that wafer production would comprise a major fraction of the cost, several cost reduction schemes were considered for the Czochralski pulling and sawing of the wafers. A solar-cell processing sequence was selected on the basis of our previous cost studies and the projected availability of production equipment by 1982. These criteria resulted in the selection of POCl/sub 3/ gaseous diffusion for junction formation, thick-film Ag screen-printed metallization, spray-on antireflection (AR) coating, and solder reflow interconnect technology. The economic study was made by computer analysis of the cost elements of these process sequences at production levels ranging from 3 to 100 MW/yr. With the results of this study, a 30-MW/yr factory was designed, and a preliminary floor plan layout is given. A manufacturing cost of $2.01/W is projected and, including factory overhead and profit, a selling price of $2.27/W is projected.

• Research Organization: RCA Labs., Princeton, N.J. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: NAS-7-100-954352
• OSTI ID: 5202760
• Report Number(s): ERDA/JPL/954352-77/3; PRRL-77-CR-44
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140300 -- Solar Energy-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360601 -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS
COATINGS
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
CONNECTORS
COST
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTALS
CUTTING
CZOCHRALSKI METHOD
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MACHINING
MANUFACTURING
MONOCRYSTALS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS
POLYCRYSTALS
POWER PLANTS
PRODUCTION
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS