According to DigiTimes site reported that a new generation of solar-grade silicon material source metallurgy (MetallurgicalSilicon) reported a major breakthrough in the near future, the industry could be directed at their main material source of their own, metallurgical grade silicon in the grown crystal rod after the availability of about 6 ~ 7 Cheng, make solar cell conversion efficiency of about 15%, very close to both solar cells and polycrystalline silicon products. However, the solar silicon wafer foundries, said incoming foreign customers as a result of OEM orders, material sources of unknown provenance, I do not know the actual production situation, it is not possible the overall supply situation in perspective, but will pay close attention to the source of metallurgical grade silicon material trends.
Breakthrough in the utilization of material sources, the conversion efficiency of the bottleneck
Taiwan solar wafer maker said the Department recently made foundry incoming client abroad, a group of about 1 ton for metallurgical grade silicon foundry long grain, metallurgical grade silicon used long grain output per unit of about 3 to 4 long crystal rod, remove the head and tail part can make use of some raw materials account for about 6 to 7 as the source, and in the battery factory to manufacture abroad, the conversion efficiency can reach 15%, compared to solar cell products currently polycrystalline solar cells of about 15 ~ 16%, as well as single-crystal solar cell of about 16 ~ 17%, have been very close.
Pointed out that the solar industry, is classified as a material source of solar-grade metallurgical grade silicon, as a result of purity than do the traditional method by Siemens polysilicon, therefore, usually only over the past role as ingredients in order to account for a metallurgical grade silicon into other high - the purity of the source material mix proportion 9, at an early stage semiconductor wafer scrap prices remains steady, the purity and stability as a result of better use of waste as a wafer ingredients also better than the metallurgical-grade silicon.
Process cost less than one tenth the impact of industrial strength strong
However, metallurgical grade silicon in a large number of the volume of post-natal, process costs less than 2 U.S. dollars per kilogram, compared to the traditional Siemens method cost per kg 30 ~ 40 dollars, and the use of fluid-bed reactor Act cost per kilogram about 20 ~ 30 U.S. dollars, obviously destructive. Pointed out that the silicon wafer processing plant, metallurgical grade silicon can work independently, lead to serious material sources缺料high cost of solar photovoltaic industry will be of great significance, but due to extremely confidential client abroad, but also no way of knowing the source of the source material and the current status of actual production, in particular, whether this will continue to supply quality material sources and supply of solar energy industry will be affected the most important.
In addition, the metallurgical-grade silicon crystal rods long into mass production in the post-conversion efficiency of solar cells up to 15%, also about a serious threat to the development of thin film solar cells, the second half of 2008 will enter mass production of a number of thin-film solar battery factory, the product conversion efficiency of about 5 ~ 6%, equipment capital expenditure, it is the traditional crystalline silicon solar cells 3 to 4 times, once metallurgical grade silicon in recent years the rise of conversion efficiency of thin film does not quickly improve, fear of metallurgical-grade silicon will be the market pie .
In addition, metallurgical grade silicon covered by a wide range, including uranium purity in 98 ~ 99%, or 99.999%, have been widely referred to as metallurgical grade silicon, and the input method of metallurgical grade silicon is also divided into many categories, the world's metallurgical grade silicon manufacturers are the most representative of Norway ElkemSolar, Japan JEF, the U.S. Dow Corning DowCorning, Nippon Steel (NipponSteel) and so on, which, ElkemSolar biggest concern to the industry trends. |
