Q-Cells AG to invest in CIGS Thin-Film Technology

Q-Cells AG (OTC: QCLSF), the world's second-largest manufacturer of solar cells, is investing in CIGS thin-film technology to complement its current technology portfolio. Q-Cells is joining forces with Solibro AB from Uppsala, Sweden, to set up a joint venture under the name of Solibro GmbH, in which Q-Cells will hold a share of 67.5%.

Solibro GmbH will commercialize the copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS) thin-film technology developed in Sweden by Solibro AB. For this purpose there are plans to build an initial factory in Thalheim, which will have an annual production capacity of 25 to 30 MWp.

CIGS technology has several benefits:

• It does not require any silicon
• It has the potential of very high module efficiencies, compared to other thin film technologies, exceeding 12% in industrial production.
• The aesthetic appearance of the black modules also makes them well suited for integration into the facades and roofs of buildings.

Solibro AB is a spin-off from the widely renowned CIGS research group at the University of Uppsala’s Ångström Solar Center with a unique technology developed with the support from the Swedish Energy Agency.

At its pilot line in Uppsala, Solibro processes solar active CIGS layers on glass substrates of industrial size. Out of these coated substrates modules with efficiencies exceeding 11.5% (independently confirmed) have been achieved. Based on a closely related technology, the affiliated research group at the Ångström Solar Center has realized efficiencies of up to 16.6% (minimodules) and 18.5% (solar cells) under laboratory conditions.

Q-Cells AG will initially pay Solibro AB € 4 million (US$5.2 million) for its 67.5% share and € 20 million  (US$26.2 million) against the achievement of technological milestones, and has committed € 60 million (US$78.5 million) to the joint venture. The joint venture is expected to take a decision on the construction of the first production site in Thalheim by mid 2007. The amount of € 60 million will then be invested in this first stage of expansion.

The core business of Q-Cells AG is the development, production and sale of solar cells made of mono- and multicrystalline silicon. They are the second largest producer of solar cells (behind Sharp) and the largest independent producer. By the end of 2006 their annual capacity should be 336 MWp, with construction already started on an additional 96 MWp of capacity, scheduled to be operational by the end of 2007.

The full press release can be found here.

It seems that CIGS technology is really taking roots. In addition to Q-Cells; Daystar, Global Solar, HelioVolt, Konarka, Miasole, and Nanosolar are all betting on this technology to produce the lowest cost solar cells ($/W), because it does not use silicon and is suitable for low cost production.

Comments

[Vagif Verdi]

I'm a dilettante in this field.
But I heard that the amount of energy, required to create solar cells, are more than amount of energy those solar cells will ever be able to return.

Is this true ?

[Matt]

Hi Vagif. Nope. Thats not true.

For a comparison of energy payback for a few solar cell technologies, take a look here:

http://nanosolar.com/economic.htm

[Vagif Verdi]

Thx Matt.
I was surprised to see that conventional solar panels are indeed taking long time to return energy they consumed. (3 years.)

[david foster]

I'm not sure a 3-year payback is so bad: wonder what the energy payback is on a conventional coal power plant? Lots of steel goes into boilers, etc, and steelmaking is a pretty energy-intensive process. Not to mention incremental rail capacity to get the coal there in the first place.

[George]

Well, Nanosolar, a company that makes roll-printed cells, claims that single crystal cells (i.e., their competition) takes 3 years for energy payback. They say their own technology takes less than 2 months. The 3 year figure is likely to be an overestimate, perhaps a large one. The <2 mo figure might be an underestimate.

This idea of "solar cells take more energy to make than they'll ever produce" is a persistent meme. Who benefits from this meme? Who spreads it?

[Demesure]

I would add that in sunnier places (like Spain or California) the energy payback would be less than 1 year, even for monocrystaline cells (the most energy intensive). For a production lifetime of more than 20 years with a projected decrease in efficiency of less than 5%, not bad, to be compared to a coal plant.

[Paul Dietz]

I'll add that CIGS cells have very little active semiconductor in them, since the absorption length of the absorbed photons is less than 1 micron (vs. about 100 microns for xtal Si, although cell thickness can be made less than this through clever design involving light trapping and total internal reflection). The total absorbed energy per atom of semiconductor in a CIGS cell approaches the energy/atom you see in nuclear reactions, when integrated over the life of the cell.

The implication of this is that the process for depositing the semiconductor itself could use lots of energy and still have a very short payback. Of course, the energy used in making the supporting structures would also have to be considered, since this part will be considerably heavier.

[David]

Earlier in the month, the big story in solar was the polysilicon shortage. Will makers of thin-film equipment be able to get around that problem and lead the way forward in meeting demand for solar products?

After thinking on these issues, it was interesting to see this post and recent others like it, as well as the recent Wall St. Journal article on Energy Conversion Devices (which also operates in this space).

What do you guys think? Will they (CIGS thin-film makers) be able to meet demand for solar equipment and push down cost of solar power?

[Justin Hayward PhD MBA]

This is just a note about our Solar Smart HEAT event coming up. This is a solar-sourcing + measurement and control + building design event.

Please see the conference homepage at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat
Conference brochure and other info PDFs at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events
Book to secure your place at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/register.htm
Last year's summary at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat/summary07.htm

The event builds on HEAT07: focuses are solar, smart metering systems and low power components and devices this year.

Yours, Justin

[Justin Hayward PhD MBA]

This is just a note about our Solar Smart HEAT event coming up. This is a solar-sourcing + measurement and control + building design event.

Please see the conference homepage at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat
Conference brochure and other info PDFs at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events
Book to secure your place at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/register.htm
Last year's summary at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat/summary07.htm

The event builds on HEAT07: focuses are solar, smart metering systems and low power components and devices this year.

Yours, Justin

[Justin Hayward PhD MBA]

This is just a note about our Solar Smart HEAT event coming up. This is a solar-sourcing + measurement and control + building design event.

Please see the conference homepage at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat
Conference brochure and other info PDFs at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events
Book to secure your place at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/register.htm
Last year's summary at: http://www.cambridgeinvestmentresearch.com/events/heat/summary07.htm

The event builds on HEAT07: focuses are solar, smart metering systems and low power components and devices this year.

Yours, Justin