Motech establishes PV R&D center in Taiwan
Nuying Huang, Taipei; Esther Lam
Source: DIGITIMES, 9 August 2007
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20070808PD220.html
Motech Industries announced on August 8 that it has established a research and development (R&D) center with the aim to study developments in photovoltaic (PV) technologies, quality enhancement on solar cell power efficiency and silicon wafer production. The new R&D center is located at the Southern Taiwan Science Park and it will recruit more than 40 researchers within three years, up from 20 at present.
Regarding development of new technologies, Motech said it is open to developing partnership opportunities or strategic alliances with local Taiwan and international enterprises or education institutions. The focus for new products will not necessary be thin-film solar cells as most people expect, but the company declined to provide more details, as any new product is still in the development stage. Although company general manager YH Tso has an expertise in thin-film solar cell study, he previously mentioned that thin-film solar cells are not competitive in terms of power conversion efficiency, thus Motech has no concrete plans in that related field.
In addition to new products development, Motech said the company aims to enhance its solar cell power conversion efficiency rate to 20%. Given that the conversion rate for silicon-based solar cells hits its limit at about 25%, the solar-cell maker reiterated that it would diversify its product portfolio.
Motech noted that it would dedicate more resources to silicon wafer development in 2008, with the plan to include studies on improving both technology and material cost reduction. The company noted that it houses about 10 peak megawatt (MW) capacity for silicon wafer production currently and the amount is set to expand to 100 MW in 2008. Most of its silicon wafers are multi-crystalline 6-inch wafers. The company said it now is able to slice silicon wafer to 200 microns thick.
When asked to comment on rival E-ton Solar Tech’s recent business ties with Spire for integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) deployment, Motech spokesperson Chia-Chi Chen stressed the company is cautious about investment as it does not wish to become over-extended. Chen added that Motech remains open to developing partnerships with its peers. Given that budgets and resources are limited, the company would prefer to be a technology supplier, instead of linking up with regional industry players from different sectors in the PV industry.