Taiwan, Small but Mighty

A Wrap up of PV Taiwan 2011

Excerpt from article by Becky Stuart, pv magazine

Taiwan’s photovoltaic (PV) industry leaders gathered in Taipei from October 5 to 7 for this year’s PV Taiwan. pv magazine spoke to the movers and shakers to find out how they view the global PV market and how their manufacturing methods can compete in the global arena. Technological advancement was one of the key strategies to emerge. Cost structures, opportunities and threats were also discussed.

Taiwan’s PV industry leaders discussed the future of the industry and their strategies for moving forward at PV Taiwan’s CEO Forum, held on the first day of the event.
Photo: TAITRA

For such a small PV player, one could easily be forgiven for brushing Taiwan aside when it comes to its influence in the solar industry. Indeed, cumulative installations in 2010 reached just 20.2 megawatts (MW) and in terms of its manufacturing sector, cells comprise the only segment to have made any global waves thus far. But while the industry may be relatively small, its manufacturers know exactly what needs to be done to gain a competitive edge, and how they will achieve their goals. During a CEO forum held on the first day of PV Taiwan, and from interviews conducted with the leading players, pv magazine gained an insight into the industry’s manufacturing strategies for going forward.

Taiwan is the second biggest manufacturer of solar cells in the world, behind China. Next year, according to IEK, both countries will hold an 80 percent share of the market: currently, they are said to represent just over 60 percent (46.4 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively). Of the global manufacturers, three of the top 15 are from Taiwan: Motech, Gintech and Neo Solar. Overall, however, there are more than 40 Taiwanese cell manufacturers. The country went from producing around 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of cells in 2009, to over three GW in 2010. Its expertise in this area is attributed to its strong background in the semiconductor and flat panel display industries.  (Read full article.)

Taiwan Researchers Score Breakthrough in Solar Cell Technology

DSSC efficiency reached record 13.1%

A research team composed of Taiwanese and Swiss chemists has developed new dye components that can highly enhance the solar conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) to reach world’s new record 13.1%, the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan announced on November 16.

The success marks a significant step toward the creation of very cost-effective solar cells, which would greatly contribute to the development of the photovoltaic industry, according to council. The achievement has attracted attention in the global academic community and an article detailing the research results has appeared in the latest issue of the prestigious Science Magazine.

Other U.S. journals such as Chemical & Engineering News and Scientific American have also published articles on the major breakthrough in dye-sensitized solar cell technology, hailing it as yet another milestone in the global development of renewable energy.

The NSC-funded research team used porphyrin and cobalt to replace ruthenium and iodine as dye components, which increased the absorption of sunlight and resulted in a more efficient electron exchange and a solar conversion efficiency of 13.1%, the council said. The efficiency of previous cell design is about 10%~11%.

The research team , led by Yeh Chen-yu of National Chung Hsing University, Eric Diau of National Chiao Tung University, and Michael Gratzel, a professor at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, said the new invention can be easily commercialized at low cost.

Porphyrin is an artificial chlorophyll that plays the same role in dye-sensitized solar cells as chlorophyll in plant photosynthesis. The newly developed solar cells take the imitation even closer as the new chemical combination gives them a greenish tint. "This new color increases the efficiency of the process that converts light energy into electricity," Yeh explained.

DSSC provides a number of distinct advantages over other photovoltaic solar technologies, which include higher power output and lower cost under high volume manufacturing. DSSC with cobalt-based redox electrolyte can be widely used in consumer electronics gadgets in different colors and opacities, further expanding its potential applications. Fuji Chimera Research Institute estimates that DSSC market will reach 235MW with US$200 million revenue by 2014.

To showcase this latest DSSC technology, the special exhibition area at PV Taiwan 2011— DSSC Pavilion joint companies including Etemal Chemical, Everlight, FHR ANLAGENBAU GMBH, ITRI, KING DESIGN, Taiwan DSC PV Corp. and Jintex Group with product displays. Exhibitors such as Everlight and Eternal Group also presented the latest DSSC applications and technology innovations at the technology zone. With the new technology breakthrough, DSSC definitely will be another highlight of PV Taiwan in the coming year!

PV Taiwan is the largest solar/PV exposition in Taiwan. Hundreds of world-class firms will exhibit and create one of the best one-stop sourcing platforms in Asia. Exhibit at PV Taiwan 2012 or looking for more information about Taiwan’s high-quality PV products, visit: www.pvtaiwan.com

SEMI PV Group, The Grid – December 2011