Energy Conversion Devices公司旗下子公司Uni-Solar近日公布其技術路線圖具體細節(jié)，擬于2012年將其電池轉換率提至12%，同時將成本降至每瓦95美分。更重要的是，此次減本增效是通過改進原材料和優(yōu)化生產工藝來實現(xiàn)的，并沒有對電池的本質做出任何改變。這樣就能確保2011年增產后的產品需求相對平穩(wěn)。計劃實行之初，Uni-Solar公司將在2010年內實現(xiàn)部分電池轉換率達到8.2%，并且在2011年年底前實現(xiàn)約10%的轉換率，并將設備滿負荷運轉時的生產成本降至每瓦1.5美元。

    Energy Conversion Devices的總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官馬克?莫雷利(Mark Morelli)表示該公司使用公司的核心技術之后，電池的實驗室轉化率高達15.4%。而現(xiàn)在發(fā)展的重點是要將這一技術應用于批量生產，并最終將轉換率提高至20%以上。"

    United Solar Ovonic 公司主席Subhendu Guha表示，現(xiàn)階段關鍵工藝的研發(fā)主要著眼于使用改良版的背面反光層來提高對于太陽光的捕捉率 
    在接受PV-Tech的采訪時，Guha先生還指出，該公司的產品還使用了經過改進的非晶硅鍺合金，這種合金能更有效地捕捉太陽光中的紅光。此外，公司的等離子CVD [1]專利技術不僅能將生產線的吞吐量增加一倍，同時還能夠在更大的區(qū)域內實現(xiàn)更均勻的材料沉積，這就使得電池表面在標準薄片[2]大小基礎之上得以擴大，從而將長期以來6.7%的電池表面轉換率進行進一步提高。
    許多重要的連鎖效應都預示著Uni-Solar公司將在不遠的將來憑借降低單位生產成本和單位資本支出而獲得利潤。經過改良的CVD工藝將花費公司約1500至2000萬美元，但同時也可即將產量提高約30MW。
    Guha還表示，因為性能的提升和吞吐量的提高并不是由于工藝的復雜化而導致的，并且此次所制定的目標與此前所取得的成果相類似，因此，減本至每瓦95美分并增效至12%，同時保證產量的不斷增長，這一目標在高利用率的批量生產條件下是可以實現(xiàn)的。
    公司此次改進光吸收的技術，并不會導致光致降解，因此能在提高大幅提高轉換率的同時保證電池性能的穩(wěn)定性。

The subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Uni-Solar, has detailed its technology roadmap, which is intended to push conversion efficiencies to 12% and a cost-per-watt of 95 cents by 2012. Importantly, the efficiency gains and cost reductions come from material improvements and process optimizations rather than fundamental cell changes, which should ensure a smooth demand driven production ramp in 2011. Initially, Uni-Solar is targeting area conversion efficiency gains to 8.2% in 2010 and by close of 2011 calendar year approximately 10%, with fully loaded production cost-per-watt of US$1.50.

“We are continuing to develop our technology by focusing on improving our conversion efficiency to 12% and beyond,” commented Mark Morelli, president and CEO of Uni-Solar’s parent company, Energy Conversion Devices. “We have demonstrated that our core technology is capable of conversion efficiency of 15.4% in the lab, and we are now focused on translating those results into commercial production volumes at 12% and ultimately improving the conversion efficiency to 20%-plus.”

Key process development has centred initially on improved light trapping using a significantly improved back-reflector layer, according to Subhendu Guha, executive VP of PV technology at ECD and chairman of United Solar Ovonic.

Speaking with PV-Tech, Guha also noted that an altogether superior a-Si/germanium alloy has been employed, which captures red light more effectively. A proprietary plasma CVD process not only doubles throughput but also offers greater deposition uniformity over a larger area, which in turn has enabled the cell surface area to be expanded on its standard laminate size, further boosting surface area efficiencies from the longstanding 6.7%.

Several important knock-on effects mean that Uni-Solar gains in a reduced cost-per-watt and capex-per-watt going forward. The upgraded CVD tools are expected to cost between US$15 and US$20 million, while boosting capacity by approximately 30MW.

Guha also noted that as the performance and manufacturing throughput gains are not a result of more complex processing, a target of 95 cents per watt with 12% efficiencies with continuous yield improvements, similar to those already achieved, was realistic in a high-volum