Solar panel manufacturers are facing new pressure
Allow some of the manufacturers of solar panels headache for the long-term shortage of silicon raw materials, has gradually begun to relieve; However, market analysts pointed out that the supply of silicon raw materials, the increase will be for the emerging thin film solar panel manufacturers to bring new pressures.
"Since 2010, the supply of silicon raw materials will have improved dramatically." NavigantConsulting analyst PaulaMints in a solar energy seminar held by the IEEE, said: "But this will be a variety of technologies to bring down the average selling price pressure, especially in the field of thin film solar panels. "
Good times and bad silicon raw material shortage, has given way to the chip makers and solar panel makers troubled years; recent shortage began in 2004, the victims are mainly manufacturers of crystalline silicon solar panels. Mints said. Solar panel sales growing rapidly over the past few years, but the shortage of raw materials for silicon solar panels use crystalline technology manufacturers can not supply required by the market; so between 2004 and 2007, silicon solar panels market share from 93 % down to 89% or so.
The Mints also predicts that the solar industry in 2008 will exceed the semiconductor industry has become the largest silicon raw material applications. The shortage of silicon raw materials using a variety of thin film technology for solar panels manufacturers benefit, because the amount of silicon manufacturing technology required is very small. Such as the U.S. industry FirstSolar just because its cadmium telluride (cadmiumtelluride) technology, jumped in 2007, the world's fifth largest manufacturer of solar panels.
But times change, Mints expected shortage of silicon raw materials began to get relief from this year, or even surplus supply in 2010; this trend will most of the crystalline silicon solar panels will benefit manufacturers. The crystalline silicon solar panels on to suppliers to "moderation", as is currently ranked tenth largest supplier of U.S. solar panel industry SunPower, will each amount of silicon solar cells by about 12 grams Kandao 6 grams.
However, thin film solar panel maker SignetSolar or optimistic about their technology, predicted that the company made in 2020 the overall sales of solar panels 40% of the share. The supply of the company's manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials (AppliedMaterials) is that both silicon and thin film technology will rival in the solar market.
Thin film technology in recent years received a lot of financial support, cropped up dozens of new companies; According to statistics, the U.S. industry and venture capital industry, investment in 2007, the total amount of film technology, 3.5 billion U.S. dollars. U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory) of the optical center director LawrenceKazmerski said the amount is invested in U.S. government twice the amount of the overall optical field, and he was quite worried about such a huge amount, because not all of these companies can survival.
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