Capability to generate sustainable, renewable energy cost-effectively is one of the key ingredients in a global effort aimed at eliminating dependence on carbon-based fossil fuels. Among several renewable energy-generation options, crystalline Si-based photovoltaic (c-Si PV) technology represents perhaps the most desirable, pollution-free, and employment-intensive alternative. Si PV technology has consistently exhibited growth in ~ 15-20 % range over last 20 years; c-Si accounts for ~ 90 % of the market share. Despite c-Si PV technology’s phenomenal growth, both the industry and technology are not considered “mature” and face stiff competition from rapidly-maturing thin-film technologies (a-Si, CIGS) that are promising lower energy conversion costs at increasingly higher efficiencies. In this presentation, we will review startup and operating costs of typical wafer and thin-film manufacturing operations. In order to reduce c-Si PV energy generation cost ($/Watt) as well as making it universally applicable, we will discuss our cottage-industry model that stresses adapting technology to the environment of its application. Application of this cottage industry model to 110 W panel manufacturing factory at ~ 1-3 MW/year capacity in Terengganu, Malaysia will be presented. We will also discuss solar cell manufacturing using low-cost equipment and processes. Finally, we will present our recent work on two critical aspects of solar cell manufacturing: crystalline thin (~ 10-20 µm) film, and water-free manufacturing processes.
Dr. Zaidi received the Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in 1989. His dissertation work was on interferometric lithography and optical coupling to surface plasma waves. For ten years, he was a Researcher at the Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico, helping develop several applications of interferometric lithography. On January 1, 2000, he founded Gratings, Incorporated, where his focus has been on application of nanoscale lithography techniques to a wide range of materials and devices. His current research interests include microstructured Si solar cells and heteroepitaxial growth on nanoscale features. He has a Ph. D. in Physics from the University of New Mexico (1989) and was awarded the 1995 inventor of the year award by the New Mexico Entrepreneur Association. His goal is to develop a cottage-industry based approach aimed at low cost manufacturing of high efficiency, crystalline Si solar cells, modules, and processing tools using conventional and thin film configurations.
|
