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8/9/2019 Optolink International Edition 2010 Q1 Issue
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Industry News
4 Global Photovoltaic Industry Outlook
6 Feed-in Tariff Impact on Worldwide Photovoltaic Installation
13 The Urgency for PV Development and Needs of HCPV
19 Can CPV Reach Commercialization?
24 Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Overview
27 Photovoltaic Industry Cluster in Taiwan
30 PV Rush
Exhibition Watch
32Photonics as Solution to Global Warming the 15th IOA Meeting in Taiwan
Company Profiles
36 Neo Solar Power: Aggressive Expansion for Uprising PV Market
38 AUO Solar the Trusted Name in Future PV Industry
40 Gintech Prospers After the Storm
42 Kinmac Solar:Cultivating Sustainable Environment through Photovoltaic Energy
44 Motech Power: Power the World with Solar Energy
ContentsOptoLink International Edition (OLIE)
is a quarterly magazine published
by the Photonics Industry and
Technology Development
Association (PIDA).
5F., No. 9, Roosevelt Road, Sec. 2.,
Taipei, Taiwan, 10093.
www.pida.org.tw
Tel.: +886-2-2396-7780
Fax: +886-2-2341-4559
Publisher:Frank Ma, CEO of PIDA
Editorial Team:Angel Chiou, Dan Guo,
Murphy Lin, Stephy Chen,
Karen Ho, Deaphne Kuo,
Jason Lu, Emily Hu
Art Designer:Chiou-Ling Liu
Director of Market &Bussiness Division:
Ryan Chung
Sales Contact:Ginger Chen, Allen Lee,
Pamela Hsiao,
Cathy Zhang, Ben Tsai,
Henry Nieh, Jerry Lee
Advertising:Christine Chen
Subscriptions:Simon Huang
Editorial Submissions:Angel Chiou
OPTOLINK Q1, 2010
13
http://www.pida.org.tw/olie/
4432 38
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Europe66%
NorthAmerica14%
Asia 16%
Others4%
Global Photovoltaic Indusby Angel Chiou
ChinaSolar power installation in
China is estimated to reach2GW in 2013.
The global downturnin 2009 enforces thetransformation of ChinaPV industry structure.The increasing domesticdemand turns China froma global production baseinto one of the biggestapplication market.
Chinas on-grid solarmarket is expected to haveexplosive growth in 2010.
Fig1. Global PV Market Breakdown by Country Fig2. Global Demand of Solar Power by Region
Courtesy: PIDA, 2010/1 Courtesy: PIDA, 2010/1
Europe
Market Demand from Europe reached3,486 MW in 2009, a negative growth at24% comparing with the previous year.
Europes module manufacturing ordersshift to Asia for lower cost after theeconomic turmoil.
Germany replaces Spain to become the
largest installer and accounts for 2,200MW in 2009, an annual growth rate at41%.
Italy installed in 2009 grows 73% toreach 450 MW, remaining the thirdlargest installer in Europe.
Greece introduces new FIT in January2009 to stimulate installation to growfrom 60 MW in 2009 to 300 MW in 2013.However, one of the most importantconcerns for PV players worldwide is thegovernments fscal capacity.
Czech Republics installation amountreached 90 MW in 2009 with the annualgrowth rate at 80%, and is highly
potential to reach 310 MW in 2013.
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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2006 2007 2008 2009e 2010f 2011f 2012f
c-Si a-Si CdTe CIGS DSSC
93% 89% 87% 80% 77% 76% 74%
4%5% 5%
4%4% 6% 7%
4%6% 7% 15%
17% 16% 16%
0% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 3%
93% 89% 87% 80% 77% 76% 74%
4%5% 5%
4%4% 6% 7%
4%6% 7% 15%
17% 16% 16%
0% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 3%
try Outlook
Japan
PV installation in Asia amounts 764 MW in 2009, taking 15% of theglobal share. Among other Asian countries, Japans installationtops with 480MW.
Japans domestic demand rapidly increases in 2009. Residentialsolar power installation occupies about 90% of the domesticmarket in Japan.
Japan transfers cell manufacturing orders to Taiwan due to costconcern.
TaiwanWith the governments support and several public policies, Taiwan
PV application market generates 9 MW in 2009 a six-fold growthcomparing with that in 2008.
The export focus of Taiwan PV industry is reoriented toward Asiafrom Europe.
Korea
Korea actively completes its industry chain in recent years. Thereare over 50 PV companies in up-/mid-stream industry, half of whichfocus on solar cell manufacturing. Crystalline silicon solar cells arethe major product for now.
Koreas crystalline silicon solar cell production capacity reached386 MW in 2009. The annual capacity is expected to reach 150 MW.
USAUS installed 750MW in 2009 with annual
growth rate over 120%.
California, New Jersey, Colorado,Nevada, and Arizona states amount toapproximately 85% of the installation inthe US.
CSI (California Solar Initiative) Programaims to generate 1,950 MW by 2016.
US is becoming one of the most promisingmarket in near future.
Buy American Act attracts foreigninvestment of PV players from Germany,China, Taiwan and etc.
Fig3. Global Revenue of PV Industry Forecast Fig4. Global PV Module Technology Breakdown
Courtesy: PIDA, 2010/1 Courtesy: PIDA, 2010/1
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Feed-in Tarif Impact onWorldwide PhotovoltaicInstallaon
by Tomas Martin
From a niche market at the beginning o
the century, solar is rapidly becoming a
major part o the renewable mix, with
six gigawatts o PV installed in 2008 and
twenty-two gigawatts a year predicted by 2013 by the
European Photovoltaic Industry Association. Tis does
not include Concentrated Solar hermal Power orConcentrated Photovoltaics. he Concentrated Solar
Termal Power industry alone has ourteen gigawatts
in development or installation by 2014. Figure 1 shows
the worldwide photovoltaic install base to date as well
as a selection o projections or the next ve years.
Photovoltaics are a rapidly maturing technology.
Eiciencies o silicon panels have reached 20% and
higher, and cheaper thin ilm cells now account
or a sixth o the global market. As silicon supply
constrictions ease and manuacturing grows in
sophistication, the price o a PV module is alling,
with declines o as much as 35% predicted over the
coming twelve to eighteen months by the Renewable
Energy Corporation.
However, PV technology is still expensive
compared to conventional ossil uel power sources,
and wind power. System install prices per watt are as
much as six times more expensive than coal or gas,
and roughly twice as expensive as a wind turbine.Despite the price, photovoltaics hold considerable
advantages. In addition to emission-ree generation,
panels are long lasting and have no moving parts.
Sunlight is a more reliable resource to predict and
harvest than wind, which is ar more variable. Te low
impact actor o a panel makes planning permission
easier than wind and where economic considerations
are avorable the installations o solar have proceeded
ar aster than competing renewables.
In the coming decade, the overwhelming
downside o photovoltaics high installation cost
is projected to disappear. Module price has been high
Article Published in InterPV Magazine, October 2009 Edition
With the annual installation capacity of photovoltaics reaching six gigawatts in 2008, it hasbecome clearer that feed-in tariff incentives such as those used in Germany and Spain can
give countries a dramatic advantage in establishing a competitive market for solar power.
Aside from the USA which uses different incentive programs and Japan which stopped its
own incentive program in 2005, all the major installers of photovoltaics in 2008 did so via a
feed-in tariff. Following a slower increase in installations in 2009 due to the global recession,
more panels remain available on the market. Countries designing an attractive tariff with
sensible caps and accelerating grid connection and planning procedures could benet from
the oversupply of modules in 2010.
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historically due to a mismatch o silicon processing
capacity to the demand or photovoltaic panels.
Manuacturers have until recently placed a priority
on eiciency and technology improvements over
cost reductions in a market where they knew their
product would sell out.
hats no longer the case. In some sunny
countries, photovoltaics are projected to be cost
competitive with conventional power by the middle
o the decade or earlier by many experts, with
McKinsey expecting at least 10 countries to see grid
parity by 2020 and the EPIA projecting grid parity in
Italy as early as 2010.2009 saw poor perormances in the irst two
quarters due to the impacts o the global recession
and a widespread lack o nancing. Full installation
and manuacturing numbers or the year were not yet
available at the time o writing, but it is expected that
2009 saw an increase in manuactured capacity to
around 8GW, but a all in installations to between a
hal to three quarters o its 2008 value.
his oversupply o photovoltaic modules, in
addition to rened silicon price decreases and subsidy
cuts in Germany and Spain has already begun to
reduce module costs dramatically and will continue
to do so into 2010. As the nancial situation recovers
and more investment becomes available, it is expected
that installation igures will rebound as developers
take advantage o the reduction in costs. Experts at
Bank Sarasin project as much as 8.5GW o installed
PV in 2010, with a rush to install in Germany beore
subsidies are cut halway through the year, and a
rebound in Spanish markets as projects become cost
competitive even once the eed-in tari cap is reached.
Nevertheless, to encourage the solar industry toreach grid parity quicker, it needs stable, predicable
demand or its product. Te most eective way to do
this is through government incentives, o which there
are three main types: obligations, subsidies and eed-
in taris.
The alternative incentive schemes:Obligations and Subsidies
Mandate or obligation based incentives such
Fig.1 Reported and projected annual installations to 2013
Courtesy: Lux, Gartner, EPIA
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as Renewable Portolio Standards or Renewable
Obligation Certiicates are used in twenty-seven
American states plus the District o Columbia and
in the UK, Italy and Belgium. he schemes require
power utilities to provide a speciied proportion o
their electricity generation rom renewables. hey
receive certiicates that can be sold to those who
havent ullled their quota, in a system similar to the
proposed carbon trading scheme.
Although they have stimulated some installations,
obligations have patchy eectiveness once a
quota is illed, or example, the demand to install
drops entirely. hey can also present serious longterm nancial uncertainty or investors due to their
reliance on market-based systems, as in the UK case,
where the nal price received rom a ROC depends
on how many other people are claiming or them.
he complexity o claiming certiicates and
the uncertainties involved makes obligations
unattractive or small scale installations. Whilst
utilities can aord to employ oices to deal with
the procedure, the diiculties in claiming a ew
certiicates a year or homeowner with a small
photovoltaic installation are daunting. In addition,
obligations historically have been insuicient to
promote the desired demand without additional
subsidies such as grants or tax credits. he UK
power industry regularly ails to hit the targets set
by its Renewable Obligation Scheme.
Subsidies such as tax credits, rebates and grants
are an eective stimulus or renewable installations.
Japan became the world leader in both photovoltaics
installations and manuacture in the early parts o
the decade through a 50% grant or anyone installingphotovoltaic panels. Te 30% Production ax Credit
in the US is oten credited with more stimulating
eect than the Renewable Portolio Standard.
Subsidies require large amounts o money
to be provided up ront by governments, which
poses economic and political issues. hey also have
demand issues. Once a subsidy reaches its quota or
is removed, the demand or installations doesnt just
slow, it drops dramatically. he stop-start nature o
the US Production ax Credit in the last ew years
has played havoc with the American solar and wind
industries, subjecting them to cycles o boom and
bust as subsidies were introduced and not consistently
continued rom year to year.
Feed-in tariffs
A eed in tari by comparison has a deined
rate o return guaranteed over a long time period,
diminishing the risk or the investor. Power
companies, governments or utilities are mandated
to pay renewable electricity generators a premium
price per kilowatt hour, substantially higher than the
normal electricity price. he cost o this premium
is levied rom the utility bills o traditional retail
customers, a revenue stream less subject to the whimso political budgets.
he price oered is guaranteed to installers o
renewable energy or a ixed long term contract,
typically iteen years. As the cost o renewables are
mostly in the initial construction, their long term cost
is quite reliable compared to ossil uel generation,
which has large variable uel costs aer construction.
Aer construction, the price o generation o a wind
turbine or photovoltaic panel is close to zero aside
rom maintenance and replacement parts. It is this
act that allows the eed-in tari to be so precisely
calculated, to ensure that the initial construction cost
is paid back in an acceptable payback time.
Each year the tari price or new installations
decreases by a set amount, with the aim o driving
innovation and cost reductions by the technology
companies. By decreasing the cost each year, the eed-
in tari pushes the industry towards grid parity, the
point at which renewable energy costs no more than
the traditional cost o power. At this point the tari is
phased out, having done its job.By early 2009 orty-ive countries and eighteen
states or provinces had eed-in taris in place, with
several others under discussion or introduction by
2010. By 2008 a number o incentives had been in
place long enough to compare installation trends
between countries with eed-in taris and those with
competing strategies.
Additional benets of feed-in tariffs
One eature o eed-in tari implementation has
only been seen recently in those countries with large
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amounts o renewables installed, namely Germany
and Denmark. Because o their eed-in taris, both
countries have enough wind power to observe dramatic
eects on electricity prices. Rather than the eed-in
tari increasing the cost o electricity to the consumer,
the opposite eect has been seen, and electricity prices
in Denmark have actually been reduced by more than
the cost o the tari to the consumer!
he reason or this depends on the nature o
electricity grids. A certain amount o electricity is pre-
purchased to match known demand. Te remainder
is bought and sold on the spot market depending on
how much electricity is needed. ypically additionaldemand is lled by natural gas plants, which can be
very expensive. In Germany and Denmark the cost o
using wind or solar or this purpose is essentially ree
due to the lack o uel costs. So i the wind is blowing
or the sun is shining, the electricity companies can
buy the renewable power instead o turning on
expensive gas plants. he price o electricity has
decreased as a result.
The impact of feed-in tariffs on
installationshe impact o a eed-in tari on installations has
already been seen in wind, particularly in Germany and
Denmark. First introduced in 1991, the German eed-
in tari at irst paid the same price or all renewable
technologies. he expense o photovoltaics at that
time made solar a relatively small part o the picture
but wind installations grew dramatically. Wind energy
accounted or 7% o German electricity in 2008, and
over 20% o Denmarks electricity supply. Tis has had
a dramatic eect on renewable jobs in these countries.It is no coincidence that the biggest wind turbine
manuacturer, Vestas, is Danish. In addition to the
capacity increases, the Fis year on year price decrease
has stimulated cost reductions in the industry, with
German wind arms on average a third cheaper than
those produced under the UK Renewable Obligation
scheme. Germany had an estimated 280,000 renewable
jobs in 2008, up rom 30,000 in 1998.
Only in the past our years has the superiority o
eed-in taris over other methods been conirmed
in solar power. All o the countries with signiicant
installations have done so using a eed-in tari,
except or Japan and the USA. In most o the
countries with signiicant PV installations, the vast
majority o installations have occurred ollowing the
introduction o a eed-in tari. Spain and Germanys
dramatic growth are the clearest indicators, but
recent tari introductions in Italy, South Korea,
France, Portugal and the Czech Republic have all led
to stimulation o previously insignicant markets or
photovoltaics. Figure 2 shows a graph o annual solar
power installations, grouped by country.
Germany and Spain are the clearest examples
o the eed-in tari phenomenon. Germanys solar
installations had been modestly increasing under theexisting 1991 Stromeinspeisungsgesetz (StrEG) act.
However, when the scheme was revised in 2000 and
2004 with higher rates or photovoltaics, Germany
saw a dramatic eect on solar uptake. By the end o
2008 5.3 gigawatts o PV had been installed rom
less than 100 megawatts beore the eed-in tari was
revised in 2000. he scheme has no upper limit on
installation capacity and has succeeded in boosting
Germanys share o renewables to 14% by 2007.
he Spanish example seen second rom the let
in gure two is the most dramatic eect o a eed-in
tari. In Spains case, where the amount o sunlight
received makes any tari seem very attractive, the
scheme was actually too successul in promoting
installations. he 2007 Royal decree or renewables
in Spain introduced a eed-in premium system
where a certain guaranteed premium was added
to the electricity price or renewables. he Spanish
government anticipated installations below 1GW.
However, by September 2008 it was clear that ar
more solar had been installed than anticipated.Assessments vary between 2.6 and 3.5 gigawatts o
photovoltaic installed beore the tari cuto date o
September 2008.
he uptake in Spain was so strong that PV was
removed rom the general tari and a new 2008
decree was set with lower rates. o prevent a similar
rush, the 500 megawatt limit to Spanish installations
will be parcelled out over the course o 2009. his
new low cap is largely responsible or the large
amounts o panels expected to be manuactured in
2009 without a buyer. Te delay or the 2009 tari due
to backlog o 2008 applicants is believed to have lost
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15,000 Spanish solar-related jobs since summer 2008.
Te strong solar insolation in Spain, combined with
the decrease in module prices, means this market is
close to competitive even without the tari going into
the new decade.
Countries with more recent tari introductions,
such as France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, the Czech
Republic and South Korea, have all shown smaller
echoes o the eects seen in Germany and Spain.
From negligible annual install quantities, each o
these countries has started installing signiicant
amounts o photovoltaics in the year ollowing
the introduction o a tari, which has increased
consistently year on year.Japan, which had been a
world leader in PV capacity, displays the opposite
eect to this phenomenon once the 50% grant was
removed in 2005, the amount o annual installations
reached a plateau and began to all. Even with an
Fig.2 Installations per year for countries before and after feed in tariff introduction show dramatic impact of this
Courtesy: SEIA, EPIA, Worldwatch
Germany JapanSpain USA Italy SouthKorea
2007: Spain introduses feed in tariff,tariff revised in September 2008 duetotoo much demand
2005: Japan stopsincentive program,installations plateau
2004: Germany modifiesexistingtariff to far moreattractive incentive,growth booms
2007: Italy reorganises2005decree with morefavourable tariff
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2006: South Koreaintroducesariff
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Annual PV installations by country in MW
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established photovoltaic industry and many o the
bigger module manuacturers, Japan has yet to
recover to its 2005 levels.
Te USA principally aims to stimulate renewable
installations via the aorementioned Renewable
Portolio Standards and 30% Production ax Credits.
It has seen some success, with Caliornia and New
Jersey in particular installing large quantities o
photovoltaics thanks to their incentive schemes. Te
PC has been a key driver in this, but the uncertainty
o continued unding each year has had a negative
eect on solar jobs and installations. Te extension o
the tax credit in the 2009 Stimulus package or seven
years should alleviate this problem in the uture.
Legislators in Florida, Michigan, Vermont, Hawaii
and Illinois have all moved to introduce eed-in taris
in the last ew years.
In the wake o the success o Germany and
e of incentive.
France India Portugal ROW Other EU Belgium CzechRepublic
2005CzechRepublicintroduce sFiT, improvedinsubsequent years
2006: Francentroduces feedn tariff
2005: Portugalredesigns 2010 FiT
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Spains eed-in taris, the measure has increased
in po pula r i ty , wi th Onta r io , Swi tze r la nd ,
Greece, Caliornia, Israel and much o Australia
introducing comparable measures. he UK has
also introduced legislation, with the 2008 Energy
Act mandating a eed-in tari to be in place in
the UK by the start o 2010. O the new taris,
the Canadian province o Ontario looks the most
attractive, with attractive pricing or installations
under 10kW o 80c/kWh. I the tari is similar
to the drats seen, the annual cap o 10MW or
photovoltaics should be reached.
Conditions for a good tariff
he precondition o a successul tari is that
the price o the tari relects the local insolation
and product install price. As regions like Spain or
Caliornia receive as much as twice the amount o
sunlight over the course o the year than the UK or
Germany their tari can aord to be lower. I you
can produce twice as much power or the same cost
o panel, the price per unit generated decreases
proportionally to get a good payback time.
Assuming that the tari will be set a level
that relects the local insolation levels, there are
two main considerations besides price or a tari
that will enhance its success. Firstly, the incentive
should be consistent over a number o years, giving
stability or smaller investors in a way that market
driven systems do not. In addition any cap on
installations should be low enough so as to prevent
an unsustainable rush to install as seen in Spain, but
high enough that suicient demand is satisied to
grow the industry, something which grant systems dopoorly. I governments are serious about expanding
photovoltaic capacity, the cap or PV should be at
least several hundred megawatts a year in the long
term. A cap that grows incrementally each year as the
tari price decreases would be one way o ensuring
industry growth.
So i eed-in taris are so attractive, why have
some countries implementing them, such as Greece
and Italy, not seen installations on the scale o Spain
and Germany despite high insolation levels? Te key
stumbling block in these circumstances is typically
bureaucratic; i a panel is going to have a avorable
payback time but due to planning processes wont
be installed or eighteen months, companies become
a lot more reluctant to enter the market. France
is a good example o this eect, with hundreds o
megawatts o photovoltaics installed in the ground
by the end o 2008 not producing power due to
administration delays by the utility responsible or
connecting them to the electricity grid.
he access to grid connection and planning
permission queues should be accelerated to
prevent hold-ups through administration costs.
Grid connection is currently less a problem in
solar compared to wind due to the relatively smallquantities o capacity typically being installed. he
lower demand or grid access in sunny regions and
cities rather than traditional power corridors will
initially allow easy connection or many projects.
As the number o installations grows, this will likely
become less simple and steps will need to be made
that installations are not let unconnected as in
France.
Conclusion
More than anything, eed-in taris are successul
because they oer stability and guarantee in a ast-
moving climate. I structured well a eed-in tari can
give a payback time and rate o return avorable or
both homeowners and investors, making inancing
much easier. Smoothing the planning and grid
connection processes to make installations easier and
aster ensures the success o an incentive.
With the Spanish subsidy collapsing so much
compared to last year and prices alling rapidly, there
remains considerable upside or the governmentsimplementing avorable incentive policies. As
we move into the new decade, more inventory is
available at a lower price than ever beore, waiting
or a market. Feed-in taris introduced by the UK,
Ontario and states in America and Australia could all
reap the benets over the next two years.
>> Tomas Martin is a Solar Analyst for the Wind
Prospect Group, writer and researcher in Lithiatednanodiamond thermionics at Bristol University.
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The Urgency for PVDevelopment andNeeds of HCPVby Yingling Wang, I-Tao Lung, Cherg-Tsong Kuo
Th e c l i m a t e c h a n g i n g p r e s e n t s a
threatening subject or all mankind which
became the main topic in Copenhagen
climate summit. Almost all countries have
promised to reduce carbon dioxide emission rom
17% to 45%. Te conclusion is acceptable though not
satisied; however, the consensus brought about the
demand o photovoltaic urgently. able 1 listed below
has shown that there is trace carbon dioxide emission
rom photovoltaic power plant.
As habitants concerning the ate o earth, the
government o aiwan has boosted the development
o high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) system
in Institute o Nuclear Energy Research (INER)
rom 2003 which is much earlier than the climate
summit. Te main reasons o developing HCPV are
based on its high eiciency and high concentration
characteristics o the system. hereore, HCPV get
the highest potential to reduce the cost or power
generation amongst all PV systems.
As mentioned above, INER has been developing
the technology o HCPV since 2003, basically taking
the technology o irradiation detecting technology
applied to the III-V group photovoltaic cell. he
previous accomplishments are described as ollows.
he 100 kW high concentration photovoltaicsystem was established in the end o October, 2007.
he system is composed o 21 sets (each with 12
modules) o 1.5 kW roo-top and 14 sets (each
with 40 modules) o 5 kW pillar-stand (shown
as Figure1). his system was the biggest HCPV
demonstration system in aiwan beore 2008.
he eiciency o solar cell, abricated by INERcooperated with domestic epitaxy suppliers, reaches
up to 37.1% (shown as Figure 2), and is expected to
be improved to more than 40% in 2010.
32 patents have been acquired, and 93 invents areundertaken the patent application procedures. Te
Unit (Kg/kWh) Remark
Coal power plant 0.914
Oil power plant 0.601
LPG power plant 0.438
Taichung Photovoltaic
Power Plant 0.005
97,000 kWh generated per year, 60
tons of CO2 emission saved per year
CO2 emission
Power plant
Table 1 Carbon dioxide emission amount from miscellaneous power plants
Courtesy: Taipower Co., Taiwan
2
3
1
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HCPV industry in aiwan is thus supportively
established with plenty o patents.
he concentration module with 476 timesgeometric concentrating ratio has been
developed, and the highest module eiciency
is 27.2%, while that o the conventional silicon-
based module is approximately 13~15%. he
new algorithm and control mechanism have
been derived to increase the accuracy o tracking.
Presently, the tracking accuracy is0.3.
Nine i tems o technology transer andauthorization have been completed. he
technology includes 3 items o solar cell
manuacturing process and its characteristics
measurement technology, 4 items o CPV module
manuacturing and its characteristics technology,
and 2 items o CPV tracker manuacturing and its
characteristics detecting technology. wo items
o technology transer are under negotiation
presently. INER is aggressively pushing HCPV
to be industrialized, and promotes the new
generation o HCPV to be rooted domestically.
11 cases o technical service had been provided.he contents o the service were two cases
o high eiciency multi-junction solar cell
manuacturing and its characteristic testing, ive
cases o concentration module optical device and
its characteristic testing, one case o spectrum
response testing, and three cases o solar module
qualiication testing. Besides, there is one case o
technical service under executing. All these jobs
have greatly promoted the technology or the
domestic suppliers to the international HCPV eld.
INER has s igned the contract with ULcorporation o USA or assisting and reviewing
Courtesy: INER
Fig.1 100 kW HCPV System at INER (left 5 kW, pillar-stand 14 sets; right 1.5 kW, rooftop 21 sets)
Courtesy: INER
Fig.2 IV curve for cell
5
6
7
4
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the concentration module qualication capability
conorming with IEC 62108 in INER, and has
acquired international certiication in Oct.
2009, and can provide the qualiication service
or the domestic suppliers. his can reduce the
time required or the suppliers to pass the UL
certiication to gain the international market,
especially that o USA.
INER has built eight irradiation collectingstations unique in aiwan, which can gather
direct normal irradiance (DNI) and global solar
irradiance (GSI), also provide the real time
monitoring. he acquired data will work as a
reerence or investors to evaluate the easibility
o establishing the CPV plant.INER has established HCPV qualication centerat Kaohsiung Science Park in 2009 to execute
technology promoting, and provide module
qualiication service, which eectively help
the related supplier o the HCPV ield develop
the technology, and acquire the certiication to
compete internationally.
One MW HCPV demonstration system
which includes 21 sets o 5 kW and 120 sets
o 7.5 kW HCPV system has been completed
in the end o 2009 (see Figure 3). Tis is the
biggest HCPV demonstration system in Asia.
With abundant accomplishments above, INER
still speed up its eiciency enhancement and cost
reduction o HCPV system. he major eorts
recently are centered on two topics; one is increasing
the concentration ratio o the module, and the
other is enhancing the accuracy o the tracker. he
new style 900x concentration photovoltaic module
is manuactured with the technologies o high
perormance lens, and vacuum welding, and the
eciency is reached to 26.61% under outdoor testing
with 795 W/m2 DNI. he tracker is designed by
adapting digital signal technology to ilter the alse
signal o sun position sensor. he purpose o the
modiication will make the controller o the tracker
track sun according to the actual signal, and theaccuracy o the tracker is thus improved. Accordingly,
the accuracy o the tracker is enhanced to 0.2
degree.
Seeding on the eld o HCPV, INER demonstrates
the ruitul harvest above. Nevertheless, all past
eorts had become monument o green energy.
he biggest obstacle or HCPV still exists. rying
reducing the cost or the power generated by HCPV
is an issue to be conquered. Nonetheless, the step on
improvement o HCPV is a never ending story, and
continuously brings the whole world walk into solarenergy kingdom.
Courtesy: INERFig.3 MW HCPV plant
8
9
10
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HCPV Industry Chain in Taiwan
B
A
C+D Module / SystemArima Eco Energy (s)
Everphoton (s)
CompSolar (s)
D SystemSpirox
Advanced Renewable Energy Inc. (AREi)
Top Tower Technology (3T)
Tranergy Technology
E TrackerArima Eco Energy
Everphoton
Spirox
CN-JT
CompSolar
Green Source Technology
Lytec Solar
C ModuleSolapoint (s)
Browave
B LensHokuang Optics
Prodisc
Ching Ming Shan Optronics
Kimoga
KIMOGA CO., LTD .
F Inverter
Powercom
Motech
A III-V Epi ChipArima
VPEC
M-Com
Solapoint
Epistar
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Courtesy: Arima Eco Energy
Fig.5 The 300kW CPV power plant project installed by
Arima Eco Energy at ISFOC in Spain
TestingChroma
Institute of NuclearEnergy Research (INER)
ResearchCInstitute of NuclearEnergy Research (INER)
Industry TechnologyResearch Institute (ITRI)
Chung-Shan Institute ofScience & Technology (CSIST)
National Central University
EquipmentAixtron
Veeco
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Can CPV Reach
Commercializaon?
by Nancy Hartsoch
Solar Deployments: Conversion
Efciency and CostIn just one hour, more solar energy is delivered
to the earths surace than it takes to power the entire
globe or a whole year. hat being said, eiciently
capturing, converting and delivering this energy is a
complex challenge requiring new technologies and
advances to existing technologies. A key ocus or
the PV industry has been reducing the amount o
expensive PV material used in a solar panel.
One such approach has been thin ilms, which
use materials such as amorphous silicon, cadmium
telluride or copper gallium indium diselenide
to capture sunlight energy. hin ilm costs have
shown signiicant advantage, but eiciency o
these systems is typically low. he result is useo larger land or lower energy generation rom
ixed areas o deployment. Another approach has
been Concentrator PV (CPV) which has gone the
opposite direction in terms o eciency.
CPV Technology
CPV systems use high eiciency compound
semiconductor technology to generate the highest
eiciency systems available in the market today
with cell eiciencies approaching 40%, more than
twice that o typical PV. Te basic premise is that the
optics in a concentrator system are signiicantly less
Article Published in InterPV Magazine, December 2009 Edition
Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) technology, which combines high efciency cells with low cost,
concentrating optical systems, is poised to enjoy a bright future in distributed generation and
large-scale power generation. Nancy Hartsoch, VP of SolFocus, explains how this solar technology
is earning its place in the sun through high energy yield.
Courtesy: SolFocus
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Secondary Mirror
Solar Cell
Optical RodPrimary Mirror
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
CPV
Best Thin Film
Best PV
Typical PV
2009 2010 2011 2012
RatedEfficiency
expensive than PV cells. he less cell area used per
unit, the lower the overall cost o the system. With the
SolFocus CPV system, a multi-junction PV cell o 1
square centimeter is illuminated by the sun magniied
650 times. his means that the sunlight covering 650
square centimeters is collected and redirected onto a
single 1 square centimeter cell, thus dramatically cutting
the cost per unit o energy as compared to conventional
PV technologies. Figure 1 shows the SolFocus refective
optical system. It uses a primary mirror to collect the
sunlight, relecting it back to a secondary mirror and
then concentrating the sunlight on the high eiciency
solar cell at the base o the optical rod.
Understanding CPVs HighEnergy Yield
Panel eciency, energy prole, and temperature
perormance are all combined to provide the highest
energy yield in high solar resource regions.
High Efciency Systems
High concentration CPV systems provide the
highest eiciency o any solar technology available
today. hat means that when sunlight is captured,
a much larger amount o that sunlight is converted
into electricity. Figure 2 shows an example o the
conversion eiciencies or various PV technologies.
oday, leading CPV systems have around 25%
eiciency compared with typical PV at around 15%
eciency and thin lms with around 11% eciency.
Tere are two critical things to understand here. First,
today, eiciencies o CPV are dramatically higher
than other technologies. Second, the headroom or
uture advances in CPV technology are much higher
than or other technologies. Over the next three years,
CPV technologies could see another 25% o increase
in eciency. raditional silicon-based PV will not be
able to realize these types o gains as the technology is
approaching its theoretical limits.
Eciency matters a lot in these cases, as it is the
biggest driver or cost reduction. CPV will continue
to oer dramatic increase in eciency, thus, increase
in energy generation. Te technology will also benet
rom signicant cost reductions in manuacturing astodays small volume will ramp to signicant volume
in the next ew years. Other technologies are likely
going to see only modest gains in both eiciency
improvements and manuacturing cost reductions.
Consistent Energy Production
Another important element o high energy yield
is consistent energy production throughout the day.
Because CPV systems unction like telescopes, they
must track the sun accurately as it moves across the sky
rom sunup to sundown. o do so, high concentration
panels are mounted on dual-axis trackers. racking
Courtesy: SolFocus
Fig.1 Sunlight is collected by the primary mirror,
reected back to the secondary mirror, and thenis concentrated 650 times down the optical rod
and onto the high efciency solar cell
Fig.2 Comparison of panel efciencies for varioustechnologies
Courtesy: SolFocus
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the sun throughout the day provides a much more
consistent energy production curve than ixed tilt
systems. Whereas solar technologies mounted in xed-
tilt positions have a daily energy production proile
resembling a curve which peaks mid-day and drops
o rapidly, dual-axis trackers enable CPV systems to
produce peak power levels starting in the early morning
and continuing until dusk. In Figure 3, the CPV energy
production curve has very broad shoulders compared
with traditional PV systems. he beneits o this daily
power prole actually extend beyond simply producing
more energy. Because CPV produces energy at a steady
rate throughout the day and the power production
remains at high levels during hours o peak demand
in the aternoon, tracking makes solar systems more
suitable to meet the demand proile o utility systems.When deployed in large volume, tracked CPV systems
operate similarly to intermediate natural gas power
plants starting early in the day and maintaining power
production until early evening hours.
High Performance at High Temperature
Degradation due to temperature is an important
perormance issue or PV technologies.
Silicon PV and thin-ilm PV operating in the
sunny regions o the world suer rom signiicant
perormance degradation as temperatures increase.
Tis is a characteristic inherent in materials used in
the technologies, not a relection on the PV panels
themselves. Figure 4 illustrates this point, but requires
some urther understanding.
wo actors come to play in understanding
temperature perormance when comparing PV
technologies. First, the rating system used or traditional
PV and thin lms is dierent rom that used or CPV.
PV panels are rated at a cell temperature o 20C with a
fash test. As soon as these panels are put on sun, the cell
temperature will be much higher so that rated level o
the panel will never be achieved when placed in the sun.
CPV panels are rated at 20C o ambient temperature
not cell temperature. hereore, when these panels are
put on the sun in a 20C o ambient environment, they
will perorm at their rated level.
Beyond the dierence in rating systems, CPVsystems have a temperature coeciency less than hal o
the typical coeciency or silicon PV (-0.21% or CPV
compared with -0.48% or poly Si PV). Figure 4 shows
that in an operating environment o 40C, poly-si PV
will be operating at less than 80% o its rated level, and
thin-lm at around 89% o its rated level. In the case o
a CPV panel rated at 300 watts, you would get 300 W o
power rom that panel at 20C, and 288 W o power i
temperatures hit 40C. For poly-si panels, at 20C, the
panel which was purchased at a 300 W rating would
only be producing around 260 W, and that would drop
to less than 240 W as temperatures reached 40C.
Courtesy: SolFocus
Fig.3 Shown above is the energy production curve for a
typical day at a power plant in Puertollano, Spain
owned and operated by ISFOC. The CPV systems
reach peak production early in the morning, and
continue at a steady rate until sundown.
Fig.4 Comparison of CPV technology utilizing
high-efciency multi-junction PV cells withMono-Si, Poly-Si and thin-lm PV technologies.CPV suffers from very little performance
degradation even at temperature of 40C.
Courtesy: SolFocus
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
05:
00
06:
00
07:
00
08:
00
09:
00
10:
00
11:
00
12:
00
13:
00
14:
00
15:
00
16:
00
17:
00
18:
00
19:
00
20:
00
21:
00
22:
00
SolFocus CPV Typical PV FIxed Tilt
ACOutputPower[kW]
Puertollano, Spain. May 2009
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
CPV Mono-SiPV Poly-SiPV Thin-Film
Actual Power compared to Rated Power
Rated Power
Power@40C Ambient
Power@20C Ambient
RatedEfficiency
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his is very critical in understanding and
orecasting energy yields rom a plant. Energy output
per megawatt will be signiicantly higher or CPV
than or any other PV technology.
High Yielding Power Plants
When you combine the high eciency, consistent
energy production, and perormance at high
temperature, CPV oers dramatically higher energy
generation. Figure 5 provides a comparative example
o a 10 megawatt power plant utilizing typical PV,
thin lm, and CPV technology. Te chart also shows
that energy production in various geographies.Te chart brings light to a very important element
o CPV technology: it requires direct sunlight. Since
the optics unction as telescopes, they can only
capture and utilize that sunlight which shines directly
on the concentrator. Diused and indirect sunlight
cannot be used by CPV systems, making CPV
technology ideally suited to those regions o the world
where the solar resource is high. Such areas rom a
general perspective include the Southwest US, parts
o Asia, southern Europe, Australia, northern Arica,
South Arica, and parts o Latin America. In Figure 5,
a 10 MW power plant in a high solar resource region
like Chile would generate nearly 80% more energy
utilizing CPV technology than it would by using
traditional PV. On the other hand, in moderate solar
resource area such as Spain, CPV would still produce
more energy, but not as much as in higher direct
sunlight areas. For CPV, it is important that plants be
located where the solar resource is at its highest. In
this case, the energy yield advantages are extremely
signicant.
CPV at the Megawatt Scale
One o the irst signiicant deployments o CPV
technology was in Castilla la Mancha, Spain in 2008-2009. Under the Spanish Ministry o Education and
Science program, Instituto de Systemas Fotovoltaico
de Concentration (ISFOC), a 3 MW CPV installation
has been developed using a variety o CPV
technologies. In addition to producing large amounts
o power, the project provides crucial perormance
and reliability testing or these new technologies.
hese installations are not limited to power plants,
they have become the proving ground or this
innovative new technology.
Systems manuactured by SolFocus, Concentrix
and Isooton, were the irst to be installed in the
Courtesy: SolFocus
Fig.5 Example of a 10 MW Power Plant
in various locations around the
world. Demonstrates the energy
generation differences for those
technologies at given levels of
DNI (Direct Normal Insolation).
Fig.6 The chart above shows the energy output per month per ar-
ray from November 2008 to August 2009 together with the
cumulative solar irradiation recorded over the period. The
energy produced was 103% of predicted energy under nor-
mal operations. The chart shows data under normal operat-
ing conditions. Data collected during engineering testing or
when DNI measurements were inaccurate were excluded.
This occurred particularly in January and February.
Courtesy: SolFocus
SolFocus-CPV
Avg Si PV-Fixed Tilt
Thin Film-Fixed Tilt
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0Jaen, Spain(DNI 5.5)
Alice Spring,Australia(DNI 7.2)
Daggett, CA(DNI 7.5)
Calama, Chile(DNI 9.8)
M
egaattHours
Monthly Energy Produced, Energy Predicted, DNI
Best PVEnergy Produced Per Array
Energy Predicted Per A
Nov-08
Dec-08
Jan-09
Feb-
09
Mar
-09
May-09
May-09
Jun-09
Jul-0
9
Aug-09
900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000200,000
100,000
-EnergyProducedperArray
perMonth[Wh]
RecordedDN
IperMonth[W/m2]
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project. he SolFocus installations include a 200
kW plant in Puertollano and a 300 kW plant in
Almoguera. In total, 87 SolFocus arrays were installed
in 2008. (Note: the arrays installed in 2008 were
the irst generation SolFocus SF-1000 systems with
a rated power o 6.2 kW per array compared with
systems being sold today with a rated power o 9.24
kW per array.)
With this project at Puertollano having been grid
connected or over a year, the company has been able
to complete perormance analysis. Te results provide
evidence that CPV technology is able to produce
energy as orecasted. Figure 6 shows that energyproduced was 103% o predicted energy output under
normal operations. Tis is a signicant achievement
or CPV.
Bright Future for CPV
Its clear that when it comes to solar energy,
there is no solar silver bullet. All technologies bring
advantages to given applications and geographies.
When compared to other PV technologies in regions
with high direct sunlight, CPV brings a number o
advantages than other PV technologies including
higher eiciencies, higher energy yield, and lower
energy cost.
Increasingly, solar technologies are also being
evaluated or the sustainability o its manuacturing
and land use. CPV systems oer the lightest
environmental ootprint o all solar technologies.
Another growing solar technology is Concentrating
Solar Power (CSP), sometimes called solar thermal
solutions. CSP is also targeted to the high solar
resource regions. Depending on the application,however, CPV oers a number o advantages. I
there is a limited supply o water in the region (CSP
consumes up to 1000 gallons o water per megawatt
hour), environmental constraints around land use, or
protection o existing eco systems, then CPV is highly
advantaged compared with CSP. Or, i the plant size
is less than 100 MW or needs to be deployed rapidly,
CPV can provide capability not available with CSP.
Te opportunity or solar as a renewable energy
source is huge and the uture or CPV is very bright.
he key is in continuing to progress down the
commercialization path with highly reliable products
that meet the industrys stringent certiications and
can be manuactured at low cost in high-volume
actories. oday, there are several suppliers o CPV
that are at this stage and 2010 should ind more
moving down that curve.
POWER UNIT:Each CPV powerunit is comprisedof a CassegrainImaging Concentratorincluding primarymirror and secondarymirror, a receiverwhich incorporates atertiary non-imagingoptic a multi-junctionPV cell, and heatspreader.
CPV PANEL:
Multiple power units(20 in the SolFocusSF-1100 system)are integrated into apanel with electricalinterconnection.Power units areenclosed between analuminum "backpan"and front glass.
CPV ARRAY:The basic system, thearray, is a parquetof 28 panels sittingon a at frame, atopa two axis trackerand producing 9.24kWDC at 850 W/m2 direct irradiance.The tracker sitson a pedestal andfollows the sunto an accuracy ofapproximately 0.10.
>> Nancy Hartsoch is Vice President at SolFocus(www.solfocus.com).
Courtesy: SolFocus
Anatomy of SolFocus CPV System
SecondaryMirror
HighEfciencySolar Cell
(at base ofoptical rod)
Optical Rod
PrimaryMirror
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Taiwan PhotovoltaicIndustry Overviewby Angel Chiou
Taiwan photovoltaic industry revenueaces recession through upstream to
downstream in 2009 due to the infuence
o global downturn. he total revenue
shrinks to ND 86.9 billion in 2009 with negative
growth rate at 18% comparing with that in 2008
(see Figure 1). Te majority o revenue comes rom
midstream waer-based and thin-ilm solar cells,which take approximately 70% revenue share o the
industry by ND 60.7 billion. Among all, waer-based
solar cell manuacturing brings a production value o
ND 59.3 billion.
Upstream silicon ingot & waer and mid-to-
down- stream module and system installation
Fig.1 Revenue of Taiwan PV industry grew negatively in 2009 but is estimated to exceedNTD 100 billion this year.
Courtesy: PIDA, 2010/1
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take only 26% and 2% share o the total revenue
respectively. Upstream silicon ingot & waer though
represents a decline o revenue still reaches ND 23
billion. In 2010, since the economy began recovery,
photovoltaic industry is estimated to have an over
23% growth to reach ND 110 billion.
o see rom a perspective o PV technologies,
crystalline silicon solar cell plays the role o the
biggest support or aiwan PV industry revenue.
he economic turmoil led to a dramatic price
decline in crystalline silicon earlier last year,making the advantage o thin-ilm solar cells as
lower cost to be in vain. Although thin-ilm and
CIGS solar cells had put into production since last
year, there were not much helpul or the revenue
in total.
he annual capacity o aiwan crystalline
silicon solar cells reached 2,887 MW in 2009,
growing 58% rom the previous year, as Figure 2
shows. Since aiwan PV players move westward
to establish sites in China, 15% o the capacity
(approximately 710 MW) is generated in China.
PIDA analysts expect aiwan crystalline silicon
companies to reach an overall production capacity
o 4,417 MW as o 2010 with the growth rate up to
60%.
On the other hand, the capacity o aiwan
crystalline silicon PV modules grows 49% to reach
1,016 MW in 2009, and is orecasted to urther grow
45% in 2010 to reach 1,477 MW. Among all, capacity
produced by aiwan companies in China takes 37%
share o the total amount (see Figure 3).
In the irst hal o 2009, aiwan PV players
enhanced their R&D ability amid the nancial crisisand launched high eiciency single-/poly- crystal
silicon solar cells. According to estimation, the
gross proit margin o high eiciency single-/poly-
crystal silicon solar cells would increase by 5% than
conventional solar cells, and the proportion also
continue rise since 2010.
Since the global economy again goes steady
along with the extension o solar subsidies
worldwide, PIDA orecasts an optimistic 58%growth
o global PV market this year. Revenue o aiwan
PV industry as a whole would also grow 23% toreach ND 110 billion.
Courtesy: PIDA, 2009/12
Fig.2 Taiwan Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Capacity
Unit: MW
Taiwan China
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
2008 2009 2010
85
370
710
1,742
2,517
3,70785
370
710
1,742
2,517
3,707
Unit: MW
Taiwan China
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2008 2009 2010
150
530
250
766
540
987
Unit: MW
Taiwan China
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
2008 2009 2010
85
370
710
1,742
2,517
3,70785
Fig.3 Taiwan Crystalline Silicon PV Module Capacity
Courtesy: PIDA, 2009/12
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2001/110 kWp
2003/370 kWp
2009/9 MWp
2010/11.6 MWp
2012/60 MWp
2011/35 MWp
To comply with the governmentspromotion of green energyand policy of domestic demandexpansion, the Solar Power Planlaunched by Taipower expects toreach 10 MW in 2011.
2005/980 kWpMOEA's Remote AreasEmergency Project
Keelung Islet 4.4 kWp
Hsinchu Branch of LivestockResearch Institute
Solar Agriculture
2007/2 MWp
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001 Energy Commission grantedfull subsidy of PV installation togovernment building projects.
2002/230 kWp
Taipei Water Department 6.48 kWp
2004/500 kWpSolar Citywas put into practiceby the Bureau of Energyaccording to the Planning andImplementation of the Challenge2008 National Development Plan.
Liudai Hakka Cultural Park
2006/1.3 MWpSolar Campus
2008/5 MWpSolar Community
Taiwan Solar Power Installation &Roadmap
Courtesy: Photovoltaics Technology Center, ITRI/Edited by PIDA
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Courtesy: PIDA
Photovoltaic IndustryCluster in Taiwanby PIDA
The photovoltaic (PV), or solar cell industryin aiwan has been developing vigorously
in recent companies are devoted or
planning to invest in mid stream or
down stream solar cell products , applications or
related accessories industries. hereore,
the entire industry supply chain
was established and the
industry cluster was also strengthened. he annualcapacity o the solar cell industry has made aiwan
one o the top ve solar cell manuacturing country
in the world. O all the PV suppliers in aiwan, theres
a trend o suppliers gathering in the science parks
to exploit the synergy and collaboration o the
vertically integrated clusters, as shown in
Figure1.
Fig.1 Taiwan PV
clusters in science parks(thin-lm & CPV included)
Central Taiwan Science Park
Southern Taiwan Science Park
Hsin-Chu Science Park
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team has realized the eciency to 18.7% and 17.3%
on mono- and multi-Si cells, respectively. Gintech
started to provide Douro, a polycrystalline silicon
solar cell with a conversion eiciency o 16.6% in
2009. Te new cell measures 156 x 156mm, and the
substrate is 180 to 200m thick. Gintech is currently
selling its cells in 42 categories with conversion
eiciencies rom 15 to 17%. In addition to the
polycrystalline silicon cell, Gintech enhanced the
conversion eiciency o its monocrystalline silicon
solar cell to 17.1% or higher on average by improving
the manuacturing process.
Color Solar Cell from Manufactures
Another interesting product is rom LOF SOLAR,
which has developed the irst ever high eiciency
color solar cell in the world. he company claimedto have conversion eciency is 30% higher than the
competitor's products. Its C-Cell color solar cells are
now available in green, purple, red, gray, and etc.
With LOF's patented nano technology, the C-Cell
conversion eiciency can reach beyond 15% and
has been conrmed by the Fraunhoer ISE (Institute
or Solar Energy) in Germany. And their lie time is
comparable to the traditional blue solar cells, easily
passing 25 years. In the past, the monochrome color
o these cells inhibited its use in aesthetic design. As
a response to the traditional monochrome solar cells,
LOF's colorized solar cells do not hamper conversion
eiciency, and its design can be combined with the
exterior hues o buildings and houses, to enhance
color coordination.
Meanwhile, Gintech also announced in 2009 to
provide green, purple, grey and silver color solar cells
with transer eiciency as high as 16%. he leading
PV company Motech Solar is tapping into the color
solar cell market as well, it provided sample with
eciency between 12% to 15%.
2bas-bar 3bas-bar
Size 156mmx156mm0.5mm
Thickness 180~200m30m
Gap 75mm 52mm
Widthof frontelectrode
2.0mm 1.5mm
Width
of backelectrode 4.0mm 3.0mm
Courtesy: Gintech
Courtesy: PIDA
Fig.3 6 inch high efciency poly solar cell from Gintech
Fig.4 LOF SOLAR provides color solar cells in green, purple, red, gray
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PV Rush
by PIDA
TSMC Expecting Revenue Growthby Entering Energy Industry
aiwan Semiconductor Manuacturing Co, the
worlds largest contract chip maker by revenue,
makes big progress aer a string o moves to enter
the industry.
Last June, ormer Chie Executive Oicer Rick
sai, who was appointed in 2005, was transerred
to the companys New Business Development
Organization. Serving as president, Mr. sai will
ocus on the growth markets including solar and
light-emitting diode (LED). SMC hopes new
businesses could add US$2 billion in revenue/year by 2018, which would put the company in a
completely dierent valuation class.
wo months later, SMC approved a budget o
US$50 million or solar energy-related investments.
Around the same time, according to a report
in the local newspaper Commercial imes, the
pure-play oundry bought a portion o the stake,
approximately 11.2%, in Neo Solar Power, a aiwan-
based solar cell maker, through its venture capital
ailiate Ventureech Alliance. Although, a source
said in the story, the holdings are not high enough
to warrant a disclosure to the watchdog aiwan
Stock Exchange (SE), it underscores the companys
eorts to diversiy into the solar market.
Since then, speculations about SMCs next
acquisition o another solar cell manuacturer
become rampant in the market. hose names that
were alleged in talks with SMC included Motech
Industries, aiwans largest solar cell manuacturer,
E-on Solar ech, the islands second largest solar
cell maker, and etc.
In December, 2009, SMC announced to
purchase a 20% stake in Motech at a cost o
approximately US$193 million. By becoming
the single largest shareholder in Motech, SMCentered the solar market ast. Te company said the
investment would allow it now to be better placed to
evaluate its uture solar strategy.
Most analysts thought it a good deal as Motech
takes the lead in the industry and has a competitive
edge. Also, although the new business would
contribute to SMC at less than 1 percent o its total
revenues o N$364 billion in 2010, it helps the
company catch up the green energy trend.
It happens that there is a similar case. Last
August, while SMC was visiting several solar
cell companies or potential alliance, United
In Taiwan, over the past few quarters, just about all the major players in the
semiconductor industry have drawn up plans to rush into the solar industry with
the type of precision technology and manufacturing techniques that can maximizeproduction and efciency given that both are based on silicon wafer. Among all,
manufacturing giants demonstrate the most overwhelming ambition.
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Microelectronics Corp, a major competitor to SMC,
created a business development center and venture
capital und called UMC New Business Investment
Corp to invest in the solar and LED sectors.
UMC Marching in China SolarMarket
According to the other local newspaper
Economic Daily News, UMC became the irst
oundry to step in planning to enter the mainland
China as it applied to Shandong government to set
up a handul o projects with regard to solar and
LED. Te total investment amount reached as highas US$300 million.
In the last two months o 2009, UMC set up
several green investments in China, including a
photovoltaic system company in Shandong Province
through its Hong Kong-based ailiate with US$1
million, and the other two LED investments. UMC
Chairman Stan Hung vowed to build the largest
solar and LED manuacturing base within fve years.
In act, UMC has deployed the green energy
industry, solar and LED in particular, without
being noticed or a couple o years. In 2005, it
established NexPower echnology Corp, a thin flm
PV manuacturer in aiwan, to make a study o
product development, research and development,
and manuacturing or the photovoltaic industry.
Starting 2008, NexPower threw itsel into volume
production and expected to operate its plant at a
rate o 12.5MW per year. he company hopes to
expand production volume gradually to reach an
ultimate production goal o 100MW/year rom that
point.
AUO Established AET to ProvideSystem Integration Services
On the other hand, AU Optronics Corp, aiwans
biggest liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panel maker
who ocuses on thin-ilm solar, planned its solar
business as well. Last May, AUO created AUO Energy
aiwan Corp (AE), which will provide its customers
with integrated technical supports in energy system.
AE President Max Cheng hoped to do more by
oering more extensive value-added services in the
uture such as installation o solar energy systems
and other renewable energy sources or industrial
acilities, company buildings and households.
Currently, AE participates in relevant solar energy
projects in aiwan and around the world with its
system providers.
Aside rom spin-o decision, AUOs board
o directors approved a preliminary plan to
subscribe new shares to be issued by M.Setek, a
major polysilicon and monocrystal silicon waers
manuacturer in Japan. he investment cost AUO
US$125 million, which was interpreted as an
aggressive attempt to diversiy into the green energy
industry, but AUO said it will eventually purchasemore than 50 percent o M. Setek shares in the uture.
Moreover, AUO is allegedly considering
purchasing 50MWp o solar cells rom E-on in 2010.
E-on President Allen Guo said both are indeed
in talks with each other on uture plan. He didnt
reveal more details but said that he expected to ink
agreement or cooperation once the deal is done.
According to industry sources, E-on is a
major buyer o M.Setek, whose 15% stake is owned
by AUO, so AUO might be paving the way or a
possible cooperation. Te sources also commented
that by securing part o E-ons capacity, AUO will
not only complete its supply chain by seize the
opportunity to take the lead.
A Trend Worldwide
A similar trend is taking place in other
countries in Asia, as well as in the U.S, making
the competition more and more intensive. Earlier
last year, semiconductor equipment maker okyo
Electron Ltd. partnered with Sharp Corp. to work onnew tools development or solar cell manuacturing.
Its principal rival, Applied Materials, broke ground
on a new US$60 million actory in Singapore.
National Semiconductor introduced its irst
solar product in last June; Intel Corp. announced to
invest US$38 million into a German solar company;
IBM Corp. gave itsel into the business to team
up with a Japanese company to develop new solar
technologies; even Hewlett-Packard Co. recently
licensed its transparent transistor technology to a
Silicon Valley company who promises to make solar
panels twice as ecient and hal as expensive.
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Photonics as Solution to Global Warming the 15
thIOA Meeting in Taiwan
by Angel Chiou
other countr ies are doing this
business.
h i s y e a r , t h e c o n s o r t i u m
i s g o i n g t o o c u s o n t w o
topics: 1. production trends in
optoelectronics/ activity reports oeach organization; 2. uture growth
areas in optoelectronics/ technology
roadmap activities. Representatives
rom each participant countries
will share their activity reports
and discuss activities in the uture
with other members to exchange
and to stimulate inventive ideas.
h e te c h no lo g y r o a dma p wi l l
identiy the R&D eorts which will
develop the photonic technologies
most likely to make the greatest
contribution to the society, and
The 15th Annual Meeting
o th e I nte r na t io na l
O p t o e l e c t r o n i c s
As s o c ia t io n i s g o ing
to be held in aiwan during June
9th
to 11th
by Photonics Industry& e c h n o l o g y D e v e l o p m e n t
Association (PIDA).
Started 1996, members o the
Internat ional Optoelectronics
Association meet up every year
in hope to contribute to world
community through the advance
o photonic technologies . he
w o r k s h o p p a r t i c i p a n t s g i v e
discussion to details o market,
production trends and hot topics,
as well as update the participant
organizations activities to see how
also will show the projected path
o the technologies to market as
seen by experts consulted rom
across the globe. he roadmap will
be disseminated to governments,
industry and academia to aligntheir eorts in implementing the
roadmap objectives.
his years representatives in the
IOA Annual Meeting include 11
photonics-related associations all over
the world. A brie introduction o
each is as ollow.
SOA
Scottish OptoelectronicsAssociation
SOA is a member o the UK wide
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COMPANY PROFILE
All photos are courtesy of KAPID.
dissemination work packages. In
particular, EPIC supervised the design
and management of effective and
interactive website used for the MONA
roadmapping project, which includes the
edition of newsletters, the organization
of workshops, and the dissemination ofproject-related information.
Optech
he Opech-Net e .V. is an
industry driven network o optical
and photonic companies, research
institutes and universities in Germany.
he main goals are to asten the
transer o research results into new
products or production technologies
and to strengthen the visibility
organizations: UK Consortium o
Photonics and Optics and the UK
Photonics and Plastic Electronics
Knowledge ranser Network. Within
these networks, SOA is amiliar
with all Photonics activities in the
UK. SOA has also had abundantexperience leading co-ordination
projects or Scottish Enterprise and
UK government agencies.
EPICEuropean PhotonicsIndustry Consortium
EPICs main tasks in this project
are organization of roadmapping
workshops, knowledge management and
dissemination. EPIC has considerable
experience in delivering effective
and competitiveness o German
companies and universities.
SLNSwisslaser Net
SLN has been initiated by Swiss
research institutes and industries in
2005 in order to improve networking
leading to a quicker and more ecient
innovation process. SLN is unded by
Swiss government and membership
ees and is recognized by the SwissCI as an oicial R&D consortium.
SLN is nationally and internationally
well networked and is member
o EPIC, OIDA, IOA, NCCR QP,
OptEH, among others.
KAPIDKorean Associationfor Photonics IndustryDevelopment
he Korean Association or
Photonics Industry Development
(KAPID) is a non-prot organization
that makes a progress in LED,
photovoltaics with Green New Deal,
low-carbon green growth strategy by
governments ultimate object which
include new regenerated energy, green
energy by installation o LED light in
public institution, LED light modelingproject.
PIDAPhotonics Industry &Technology DevelopmentAssociation
P I D A w o r k s w i t h p r i v a t e
enterprises and government agencies
to increase the competitiveness o
aiwans optoelectronics industry.
PIDA actively engages in industry
OPTOLINK International Edition 2010 Q133OPTOLINK International Edition 2009 Q333
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on building competitive industries
through global integration, human
capital development, productiveand lexible workplace relations
practices, inrastructure development
and innovation. Ai Group is closely
ailiated with more than 50 other
employer groups in Australia alone
and directly manages a number o
those organizations.
IMS-NRC
Institute forMicrostructural SciencesNational Research Councilof Canada
IMS-NRC accomplishes this role
by working at the leading edge o
science and technology that will enable
the inormation revolution to continue
and while doing so, provide Canadian
industry with a competitive advantage.
Having established its reputation bydeveloping technologies that underpin
the inormation and communication
sector, IMS-NRC has moved to
broaden its sphere o infuence by using
the same know-how to solve problems
in other application areas.
OITDAOptoelectronic Industry
and TechnologyDevelopment Association
he Japan-based non-proit
research, conerence, exhibition,
membership service, international
c o o p e r a t i o n , a n d p r o d u c i n gpublications or the optoelectronics
industry. he association has been
organizing OPO aiwan exposition
since 1984. Now PIDA is the organizer
o Display aiwan and Photonics
Festival in aiwan which comprising
o exhibitions and conerences o
OPO aiwan, LED Lighting aiwan,
OPICS aiwan, Solar aiwan.
OIDAOptoelectronics IndustryDevelopment Association
OIDA is a Washington DC-based
promotes optoelectronics. OIDA serves
as the voice o industry to government
and academia, acts as liaison with other
industry associations worldwide, and
provides a network or the exchange
o ideas and inormation within theoptoelectronics community. Tis year,
OIDA launched a new conerence,
OPOmism Powering the Green
Revolution through Photonics. his
three-day event consists o an Executive
& Investor Forum ollowed by a two-
day, three-track echnical Conerence.
Ai Group
Australian Industry Group
Ai Group is a leading industry
association in Australia ocusing
association OIDA actively conducts
a wide range o activities, such as
research and study, promoting andsupporting technology development,
and urthering standardization. It
also makes active eorts to spread
and raise awareness o optoelectronic
technology worldwide, through
cooperating with optoelectronics
industry associations in Europe, the
United States and Asia.
HKOEAHong Kong OptoelectronicsAssociation
he gathering o representatives
rom the member countries intends
to create international consensus on
a research roadmap that ocuses on
disruptive technology advances in
photonics that can contribute to thecontrol o global climate change by
reducing GHG emissions.
As usual, the workshop is held in
conjunction with regional photonics
meetings. Since PIDA is the host o
this year, the Annual Meeting o IOA
will take place concurrently with
Photonics Festival in aiwan which
comprises expositions o OPO, LED
Lighting, Solar, and Optics, together
making June a splendid photonicsmonth.
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P36_Neo Solar Power: Aggressive Expansion for Uprising PV Market
P38_AUO Solar the Trusted Name in Future PV Industry
P40_Gintech Prospers After the Storm
P42_Kinmac Solar: Cultivating Sustainable Environment through Photovoltaic Energy
P44_Motech Power: Power the World with Solar Energy
SOLAR
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Neo Solar Power:
Aggressive Expansionfor Uprising PV Market
With optimism towards the soaringPV market, Dr. Qunicy Lin, the
chairman o NSP, is leading a team o
inter-disciplinary experts to push the
production capacity o NSP to another height to get
ahead o competitors in a new year.
echnology, Quality and Customer Services are
the three core competences o NSP, said Lin when
being asked about the competing strategy o NSP, in
an interview with Photonics Industry & echnology
Development Association (PIDA) in early 2010.
According to Lin, NSP was ounded in December
2005 with a vision o providing clean and renewable
energy or mankind. In doing this, NSP aims to be
a leading solar cell manuacturer specializing in
research, development, and manuacturing o high
eciency solar cells.
Technology Advancement
Leveraging PV device physics & semiconductor
process technology enable us to enter the market withthe shortest learning curve, thereby creating solar cells
with high conversion eciency, said Lin. In order to
compete in a dynamic changing marketplace, NSP
urther provides technical supports in the ull range
o process optimization to match customer product
characteristics. NSP uses technological advances
at ield to reduce module power lose and improve
production yield. Additionally, NSP's experienced
engineering team is available to work with customer
design and engineering teams to develop innovative
solutions to meet demands in the dynamic market.
Tis ensures that the best materials and processes are
used in the development o customer's products.
NSP is making much progress in launching new
products, such as the Super Cell & Perect Cell.
For example, Lin noted that Super Cell leads the
industry with 16.8 % conversion eciency o multi-
crystalline solar cells in mass production. NSPs R&D
team develops the patented process technology with
by PIDA
Fig.1 Fab 1 and Fab 2 of NSP
Courtesy: NSP
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COMPANY PROFILE
years o industry experiences in
process improvement, material
sourcing, and quality control.
his not only enhances the cell
eiciency but also consequently
reduces power losses ater module
lamination. With Super Cell, NSP is
able to achieve high eiciency or solar
panels more than 240W, minimum power loss/
breakage rate, consistent color uniormity, greater
solderability; and RoHS compliance.
On the mono-crystalline ront, NSP demonstrates
its capability with Perect Cell. Lin described the
eature o Perect Cell as unprecedented. raditionally156mm mono-crystalline solar waers are pseudo-
square with the corners being cut o. he cut-o
corners result in a smaller area rom which solar cells
and panels can capture sunlight. On the other hand,
NSPs certiied Perect Cell shows module-makers
the ability to increase power density by more than 3%
and has an average conversion eiciency o 17.8%.
With NSPs technology advancement, Perect Cell
oers extremely low light induced degradation with
superior output that can easily exceed 250W.
Lin pointed out that, With its superior power
generation perormance and homogeneous dark
appearance, Perect Cell provides a perect choice
or system integrators to serve in both roo-top
installations and BIPV application.
Aggressive Expansion Plan
Lin expected the solar demand to be urther
ueled by the global expectation on energy
conservation and greenhouse emission reduction.
hereore, NSP has laid out a capacity expansionto boost 2010 capacity rom 240MW to 600MW,
which is the largest among aiwan Peers. Being the
most proactive company among peers on expansion,
NSP estimates a 400~500MW shipment in 2010,
representing a 100~150% increase rom the 200MW
orecasted shipment in 2009.
Upon ramp-up o 2010 capacity expansion, NSPs
total capacity will surpass 600MW. As it continues
push up shipment scale, NSP aims to step up as global
ier 1 solar manuacturer, not only demonstrating
the operating commitment o its management team
but also raising entry barrier o new competitors.
A Bright Future
As or now, NSPs strategy
pays o, according to its recent
inancial report, total revenues in 2009
were N$10.301 billion. Solar cell shipment volume
reached a record high at 201.09MW, representing
a 97% increase rom that in 2008 and rounding an
average monthly shipment volume o 25.6MW in
4Q09. Furthermore, monthly revenue in January 2010
was N$976 million, an increase o approximately73% rom the same period in 2009, maintaining the
capacity utilization rate at the peak level. Driven
by the strong order low, the overall perormance
in 1Q10 is still expected to be maintained at peak
level. Lin noted that, with the contribution o
new production capacities, NSP is well prepared
or a strong global demand in 2010, and expects
concurrent increases in revenue and prot.
All About Policy
Meanwhile, Lin still calls or governments help
in cultivating the aiwan PV industry. In the past,
Europe has been the major PV market due to eed-
in taris and other incentives rom several countries
in the EU. he U.S government provides incentives
such as tax credit, with eed-in tari expected to be
implemented in Caliornia and Florida. Lin pointed
out that although Korea
has a slow start on PV
technology; some big
names in Korea arecatching up ast and
mounting a threat to
aiwan manuacturers.
he government s
p o l i c y c o u l d h a v e
great inluences on the
development o aiwan
PV industry, said Lin,
he is looking orward
t o a s t r o n g p o l i c y
guided by the aiwangovernment.
COMPANY PROFILE
Courtesy: AUO
Classic Cells High performance cells
19.0%
18.0%
17.0%
17.74
18.0
19.0
18.5
17.8
18.5
EfficiencyMono-Si cell (156x156mm)
2009 2010 2011
Courtesy: NSP
Fig.3 Technology Roadmap
Fig.