Solar Industry Technology

Silicon Solar Panels

The most energy efficient solar panels are produced from Silicon. Silicon is also said to be the predominate material used in solar production for the next 10 years for generation 1 panels. There are two types of crystalline silicon typically used in the industry. The first is monocrystalline, produced by slicing wafers from a high-purity single crystal boule and the second is multicrystalline silicon, made by sawing a cast block of silicon first into bars and then wafers. The main trend in crystalline silicon cell manufacture is toward multicrystalline technology.

The researchers at Advanced Solar Photonics are dedicated to providing solutions to laser applications in the solar panel manufacturing industry. Utilizing state-of the-art Fiber Laser technology and proprietary processes and equipment, the Advanced Solar Photonics’ research team has developed the capabilities to now offer laser equipment specifically tailored to produce delicate solar panels.

Thin-Film Panels

As the solar industry moves towards the abundant and cost effective thin film panels it is increasingly necessary to develop equipment capable of processing the largest solar panels possible. Although thin film is the most inexpensive it is also is the least energy efficient. This has lead to the exponential increase in substrate sizes. Researchers have found that a ten times increase in substrate area only results in a 2.5 times increase in equipment costs. Advanced Solar Photonics not only offers standard equipment for marking, etching, scribing and edge isolation of smaller silicon solar panels but is now developing systems and equipment to process up to an eight foot (G8) thin film solar panel.