Oerlikon Solar launches new record-breaking module

TRUBBACH, SWITZERLAND: Oerlikon Solar launched a new record-breaking module with 154 (peak) watts (W) of stabilized module output and 10.8 percent efficiency. This represents an increase of 8 percent over the previous peak value. The record module will be ready for use on Oerlikon Solar's existing ThinFabTM lines by early 2013. This is when customers will also be able to manufacture it themselves, resulting in considerably lower production costs.

"We are committed to investing in research and development in order to further reduce production costs for solar modules, and to make photovoltaics an economically viable energy source," explains Helmut Frankenberger, CEO of Oerlikon Solar. "The new record indicates how advanced our thin film silicon technology is."

Oerlikon Solar is one of the world's largest developers and producers of field-proven, automated, turnkey production lines and equipment for the mass production of environmentally sustainable thin film silicon modules. In addition to making continual improvements in efficiency, the company has also succeeded in further lowering production costs for solar modules.

With the 120 MW-ThinFab line, Oerlikon Solar has successfully lowered production costs for modules to under EUR 0.50/Wp, nearly less than half of the previous generation. These lower production costs can be primarily attributed to the ability of production lines to manufacture increasingly thinner films with optimized material usage.

The photovoltaics end market is currently concentrated on Europe, United States, and Japan. Oerlikon Solar is expecting Asia to be a region with high growth potential in the future, after recently receiving its first order for a ThinFabTM line from an Asian customer.