ErSol to supply cells to SV Solar
Peter Clarke , EE Times Europe / Feb 21, 2007
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197007587
LONDON — ErSol Solar Energy AG has agreed to supply monocrystalline silicon cells to Silicon Valley Solar Inc. in support of the development of Sol-X2 internal flat-plate concentrator solar photovoltaic modules. ErSol (Erfurt, Germany) has agreed to supply cells with between 16.26 percent and 17.47 percent efficiency. Initially ErSol will be supporting development and preproduction. ErSol is also expected to provide a sufficient quantity of cells to support SV Solar’s initial mass production ramp.
The value of the deal was not disclosed. “Since Sol-X is essentially a ‘multiplier’ of the solar cell used, ErSol’s high efficiency E6M+ cells provide a real advantage to achieve high module efficiency,” said Christoph Goeltner, vice president of engineering for SV Solar (Santa Clara, Calif.), in a statement.
The solar cells account for up to 75 percent of solar module cost, and a shortage of refined silicon, means they are the limiting factor on the total production of solar modules, SV Solar said.
Sol-X2 utilizes a proprietary internal concentrator allowing the modules to be dimensionally equivalent to standard flat plate modules and the technology does not require a complex tracking mechanism. The flat form-factor of these modules enables traditional installation.
“We believe this is an intelligent approach to leveraging the existing supply of silicon to meet demand in a cost effective way.” Claus Beneking, CEO of ErSol.