As a result, existing PV companies have ramped up their product research and development. At the same time, new companies have entered the PV sector from related fields like the semiconductor industry, flat panel and general manufacturing. All are jockeying to find the “best” PV solar technology, including wafer-based, thin film, polymer and nanotechnology. These technologies share the common approach of using cells made of layers of semi-conducting material to convert solar energy into electricity.
Horses for courses
However, PV solar energy is a complex field. Many factors affect the conversion efficiency and cost of PV technologies. A key factors is the type of material used to make the cells. Other factors include intensity of the sun and the temperature the cell is operating at. These operating conditions vary widely worldwide and even within countries. This means that what many people view as a single PV solar market is in fact made up of a number of overlapping markets. That, in turn, ultimately means that there will be no single “winning” technology within PV solar. As the old saying goes, it will be a case of horses for courses.
One of the largest of these sub-segments is the demand for large-scale, PV-based power plants located in intensely sunny areas such as deserts. For this type of situation, several PV technologies are equally applicable, including the use of thin-film PV on fixed-mount panels. Wafer-based modules on sun-tracking mounts are also competitive here. But the ideal PV technologies for that specific need may be different from what is best for a PV installation on the rooftop of a Wal-Mart or IKEA store, for example. And that solution will differ from the ideal technology to provide power for a farm in Northern Germany.
Looking further, other market segments will develop, each of which will require its own optimal solutions. For example, PV solar technologies will be needed to power mobile devices or even personal power networks built into clothing. These technologies may be very different from those that are relevant for other applications.
A diverse customer base
REC aims to make clean, solar-based energy affordable and widely available. To achieve this, we must become a leading player in one or more of the large sub-markets within PV solar. REC has focused primarily on wafer-based PV solar technologies, which are highly adaptable and have a great deal of room for cost reduction. They have the highest energy conversion ratios of all PV technologies and are thus especially important in space-constrained applications such as commercial rooftops and tracking unit-based systems. At the same time, they are also viable in other flat land markets such as rural applications in cloudy areas, as well as tracker-based farms in deserts.
However, REC has vertically integrated solar operations, starting with silicon refining. In addition to producing PV solar wafers and modules, we also provide refined silicon for customers who produce thin film PV modules and string ribbon technology. Through this approach, we believe we are well-positioned to compete for and serve the largest possible share of the market for PV solar products.