WORLD’S BIGGEST CIGS SOLAR PLANT OPENS

BCC Research Analysis projects the world solar energy market will grow to $32.3 billion by 2012. The thin-film photovoltaic segment is expected to grow 45% and be almost 19% of the world solar energy market by 2012.

Thin film can be encapsulated into glass and made into the kind of panels seen in typical home or business rooftop systems. It can also be made into a flexible “film-like” substrate designed for “Building Integrated Photovoltaic” (BIPV) uses such as skylights or roofing.

Global Solar Energy’s cadmium-indium-gallium-diselenide thin film formula can be used either way. They have been manufacturing it at commercial scale for 3 years. It has shown a stable, consistent 10% average "conversion efficiency" in a flexible substrate. Because it does not use silicon, sales are unaffected by the worldwide shortages and bottlenecks in silicon supply.

Clearly it is time to expand production.

The market is big and getting bigger. (click to enlarge)

Global Solar Energy Opens Landmark Manufacturing Plant, Sets Full-scale Production Capacity Records
March 6, 2008 (Global Solar via Business Wire)

WHO
Global Solar Energy (Mike Gering, CEO), Tom Kimbis, acting director, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Program

WHAT
Global Solar opened the biggest manufacturing facility in the world for the type of thin film solar material (cadmium-indium-gallium-diselenide, CIGS) in which it specializes and simultaneously planned a large solar field to power it as well as an expansion of its European facility.

click to enlarge

WHEN
- As it opened its new 40-megawatt plant, Global Solar also broke ground on the biggest CIGS solar field in the world. At the same time, Global Solar commissioned a European CIGS manufacturing facility of nearly the same size, 35 megawatts, as the one it opened.
- Global Solar, now at 75 megawatts of capacity, expects to add another 100 megawats by the end of 2009.

WHERE
- The newly opened plant is in Tucson, AZ. The CIGS solar field, 750 kilowatts, will be adjacent to the plant to power the facility.
- The commissioned plant is in Berlin, Germany,
- First Solar, of nearby Phoenix, AZ, has so far dominated the thin film market with its cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film material.

Global Solar's diagram of how it forms its polycrystalline CIGS solar cell. (click to enlarge)

WHY
- The cadmium-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) thin film formula competes with cadmium telluride, monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon thin films for dominance in market. Each has claims for superiority when the variety of factors affecting solar materials (cost, efficiency, light spectrum reactivity, materials availability, etc.) are considered.
- The Tucson plant is 100,000sq. ft. The Berlin plant is 32,000 sq. ft.
- CIGS can be encapsulated in traditional glass modules to make photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules or it can be made into a flexible substrate.
- CIGS gets more electricity from sunlight (“conversion efficiency”) than other thin-film technologies.

QUOTES
- Mike Gering, CEO, Global Solar: “The solar energy market is rapidly growing as a premier choice of alternate energy. CIGS photovoltaic technology provides the market with a new renewable energy option offering the greatest potential for driving down the installed cost of energy…Through this large-scale expansion, Global Solar is continuing to lead the industry and convert solar energy potential into reality. Equipped with our years of actual production experience developing repeatable, reliable processes, we are prepared to help drive the solar market into the next level of product innovation and adoption.”

Schematic. (click to enlarge)

- Tom Kimbis, acting director, DOE Solar Energy Technology Program: “Given that Global Solar is producing the highest volume of CIGS thin-film solar material available, the opening of its plant in Tucson is a remarkable event…Production from this facility will help satisfy the strong demand for solar product across the world, while providing local residents of Tucson, already a Solar America City, with jobs in a rapidly-growing, high-tech industry. The addition of the Tucson Global Solar plant will help meet the 2015 goal of the Solar America Initiative of achieving solar electricity cost competitiveness with grid electricity, especially through the use of flexible CIGS thin-film technologies in building-integrated applications.”