Pre-feasibilty Study

Basic Parts of the Feasibilty Study:

1) Market Study
2)Technical Study
3)Financial Study
4)Project General Layout
5)Time Schedule of Project

Data Required for PV Panels Production :

A-Financing:
-Bank interest rate for short term loan.
-Bank interest rate for long term loan.
-Bank discounting rate.

-Grace period granted by banks (usually banks give 2 3 years for such type of projects)
-Repayment period for the long term loan
-Equity to Loan ratio

B -Market Study:
-Capacity Estimation .. MW/Year (for Egypt and for Export)

C- Cost of Utilities:
-Price of one sq. m of land
-Cost of Utility Infra Structure and unit cost:
Electricity Supply + cost/Kwh
Natural Gas Line + cost /cu. m
Water Supply Line + cost/cu. m
Sewage Connection
Telephone Lines and Internet

D- Machines and Equipment Selection:

-For Ingot Production

-For Wafer Production
-For Panels Assembly
-For Testing and Packing

e- Pre-operation Cost:
- Cost of License and Approvals required
- Fees of Engineering phase and supervision of erection.
- Consultant fees.

F- Civil Works and Buildings:

-Price of 1 ton of Steel Structure Building (light weight type). Price includes
works.

erection

-Price of Steel Sheet Cladding, including erection works.

-Cost of excavation works per m3
-Cost of backfilling works with clean soil/sand per m3
-Cost of 1 cu. m plain concrete including necessary form works
-Cost of 1 cu. m reinforced concrete including necessary form works (average cost for all
concrete works: building foundations, columns, roofs and machine foundations)

-Cost of Brick Walls (in cu. m and sq. m)

-Cost of 1 sq. m of Buildings (such as offices, locker rooms, stores, guard office, electric
rooms, .etc)
-Cost of preparation and pavement of 1 sq. m of internal roads.
-Cost of internal and road lightening.
-If possible: Get an estimate quotation from a local Contractor for the Erection Works of
the complete plant.
- Estimation of the total cost of erection materials needed to be supplied by the owner.
Such as: Cables, Cable Trays, Pipes, Pipe fittings and Valves, Simple Steel Parts, ..etc.

G- Production Cost (Direct Cost):

-Current Prices of materials required : White sand, Glass Panels,..etc
-Estimation for input materials and its cost per unit of production.
-Estimation of cost of Utility needed per unit.
-Estimation of spare parts per unit.
-Current selling price of PV Panes in local and international markets.
-Production Staff (ALL inclusive: taxes, insurance, lodging, bonus per month) :
Note: Estimation of number of persons for each job is required.
Senior Engineer (minimum 15 years experience)

Trained Engineer ( 5 to 10 years experience)

Junior Engineer ( up to 5 years experience0
Qualified Technician (minimum 10 years experience)
Trained Technician (minimum 5 years experience)
Qualified Crane Operator (Trained in Steel Works, for minimum 5 years)
Driver for Cars, Buses, Trucks, Forklifts , dumpers .etc
Normal Worker, Helper

H-Indirect Cost:
-Staff salaries (ALL inclusive: taxes, insurance, lodging, bonus per month)
Note: Estimation of number of persons for each job is required.
General Manager.
Senior Accountant ( minimum 10 years experience in similar field)
Accountant (minimum 5 years experience)
Lawyers
PR manager
Office and Security Staff (minimum 5 years experience)

Office boy
Drivers
-Depreciation of machines and buildings.
-Office cost.
-Marketing Cost.

I-Data required from Equipment Supplier:

- List of equipment and price estimation (CIF Alexandria, Custom Duties ??).
- Estimated area of the plant.
- Consumption figure of production.
- Estimated cost of spare parts needed .
- Know-How transfer fees.

Renewable Energy Projects in Egypt

The Egyptian government has rolled out financial initiatives to support expansion of renewable energy infrastructure as the country gets to ready to
host landmark auctions of 4 GW renewable energy capacity.
Egypts government has approved new feed-in tariffs for renewable energy projects . The electricity minister hopes that these new tariffs will attract
bidders to the auctions, and provide certainty to investors.
The tariff regulations are quite comprehensive, and cover small as well as large-scale power projects. Renewable energy projects owned by households
would receive 0.848 Egyptian Pounds (LE0.848) for every kWh generated. Commercial power generators would receive LE0.901 per kWh and
LE0.973 per kWh for projects under 200 kW and 200 to 500 kW respectively.
Large-scale projects with capacity between 500 kW and 20 MW will be eligible for tariff of US$0.136 per kWh, while projects with capacity between
20 MW and 50 MW will receive US$0.1434 per kWh. The government has set 50 MW as the maximum limit for project size, but requests for higher
capacity may be considered.
The government will also provide financial and other incentives to project developers, households, and commercial producers. For small-scale
projects, the government will offer low-cost debt financing, while large-scale project developers will be allowed to pay custom duties at concessional
rates for imported equipment.
Egypt has set a target to generate 20% of the power demand from renewable energy sources by 2020. The emphasis would be on wind energy as the
government plans to add 7,200 MW new. capacity by the end of this decade.

A recent renewable energy tender held in Egypt, January 2015 the first in the Middle East at the gigawatt scale was
oversubscribed twice over for solar energy projects, according to recent reports.
As per the reports, around 177 international consortiums of various companies applied for solar and wind project contracts.
Out of the 177 that applied, 67 have now been chosen to develop roughly 4.3 GW of solar and wind energy projects in the
country. Out of these approved projects, at least 40 are solar energy projects, with the rest being wind energy projects.
This recent tender, and the project approvals that have followed, comes as Egypts energy problems have been hitting a highpoint. The countrys recent moves to attract foreign investment and spur a renewable energy buildout are intended, at least
partially, to address this issue. Considering the countrys great solar energy potential, the move certainly makes good
sense. The biggest potential hurdle is the relative political instability of the region at the moment, but that apparently didnt
scare away project developers.

The Egyptian power sector seems a perfect start for the joint venture. The country plans to boost its renewable energy generation and source 20% of
the total electricity needs from wind and solar power projects by 2020.
Egypt is planning to auction 30 GW of power generation capacity based on renewable energy and coal. The aim is to drive down the selling price of
electricity by promoting competition among international companies. Among the renewable energy technologies the focus is expected to be on wind
energy. The country is already among the largest markets for wind energy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Of the 20% renewable energy share targeted by 2020 in the power generation, 12% is expected to be achieved through wind energy, and the balance
8% from solar power and hydro power. To achieve this, the Egyptian government is planning to auction 7,200 MW of wind energy capacity by 2020.
Egypt is looking to attract foreign investors in the renewable energy auctions through supportive regulatory frameworks and backing of
development banks for debt financing. Last year, the government announced feed-in tariffs for renewable energy project developers as well as
homeowners. The utility-scale renewable energy projects are eligible for tariffs of up to 14.34 per kWh. Utility-scale project developers would also
be eligible for concessional interest rates on imported equipment.
The first auction, conducted in early January, attracted significant interest from global companies. The solar power capacity auction was subscribed
twice over with developers looking to develop as much as 4.3 GW generation capacity. The wind energy auction was comparatively muted but the
government is expected to conduct another wind energy auction in the near future.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

Models & Guides for the Feasibility Study

Preparing The Feasibility Study
When preparing the feasibility study, the following guidelines must be followed. These requirements are essential for evaluating the project. Delay in processing
an application can be expected if there is a lack of adequate information. It is stressed that the Fund requires only information which a prudent investor must
have before coming to reasoned investment decision. If you are in doubt as to whether certain information is required in your particular circumstances, contact
the Fund for guidance.
1)

REQUIRED MARKET INFORMATION

2)

REQUIRED TECHNICAL INFORMATION

3)

REQUIRED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

4)

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED INFORMATION

Required Market Information

1. Product
A full description of product or products including size (or sizes), packaging as sold to customer and packing for wholesale distribution (if applicable),
brand/trade name and uses, plus a brief description of the raw materials. If more than one product is to be sold, details of the product mix planned (including
any changes in mix foreseen during the project life). State the proposed production program, year by year (for the first 5 years).
Samples, catalogues and/or photographs of the product(s), if available, should be provided. Detail the standards and specifications applicable in the target
market(s) and state to which standard the product(s) will be made.
2. Supply
Details of current sources of supply of the proposed products to the local market (and other markets, if exports intended) i.e., companies both manufacturing in
the country and exporting countries. Capacity of supplying companies, their product range and estimated market share. Names, addresses, telephone, and fax
numbers of local manufacturers and agents/distributors.
3. Demand
Demand in any one year is generally assumed to be summation of sales from local supply plus imports less exports (or re-exports). Where possible for historical
demand, supporting evidence from recognized sources, e.g., Foreign Trade Statistics should be included. State the sales history of the sponsor and/or the
foreign partner (if there is one). Sales in the local market and other markets are to be covered if exports are foreseen.
The future market size over the period covered by the feasibility study should be estimated.
4. Marketing Strategy
A brief statement of the sponsors of the project including definition of target markets, perceived strengths, and principal competitive advantages. What is the
sponsors experience in this business or any related activities?
5. Pricing
Prevailing market prices per product/package in the local market (and other markets where appropriate) and by . Ex-work prices for locally manufactured and
CIF prices for imports. Where applicable, retail and wholesale prices should also be provided.
6. Projected Sales & Market Share
In the light of the estimated market size, show the projected annual sales volumes until the project reaches its full, installed achievable capacity or licensed

capacity. Also slow the projects estimated market share on a year by year (segmented, if applicable, by product and/or product group; units and value,
customer/market segment and region).
7. Competition
What is the internal/external competition to the project, e.g., competitive brands, their price range & market share? How will competition affect the ability of the
project to achieve the estimated market share? What are the strengths and weaknesses of individual competitors?
8. Distribution
How will the product(s) from the factory reach the ultimate consumer?
What distribution channels are proposed? How do these compare with those used by competitors?
What transportation methods, storage facilities and warehousing will be used? What is the cost, and how pays it?
9. Marketing Organization
Structure of marketing and sales department including staff numbers, qualifications, nationalities, experience and job descriptions (Including CVs of
management if already recruited).
10. Sales Promotion/Marketing Support
Detailed plans for advertising and other sales promotion activities both to the trade channels and consumer/end-users. Planned budgets and percentage of
these to estimated, broken down by type of media to be used. Rationale for the proposed plans and projected expenditure. Information to be provided on
plans/budget for the company product launch.
11. Marketing Agreements
Copies should be provided of any marketing agreements (including Agency, Representation, Trade Mark, Distribution etc., agreements) which may exists or in
draft whether these be with local companies or foreign partners. Indicate the marketing input from such partners.

Required Technical Information

1. The Product
1) What is the product and what is it used for?
2) A technical description for each product accompanied with sketches, photographs of each type; sizes or samples if possible.
3) If not manufactured entirely, what parts are to be bought ready made?
4) Are the products complete finished and ready to use when leaving the factory, or is further work needed outside the factory (e.g., erection, assembly into a
complete unit)?
5) Are there any local or international standards that the product must comply to? What are their details? These specifications should describe raw materials
used, the final product and should specify testing and quality control methods.

6) Specify number of units in a package and specify wrapping cartons, boxes, pallets etc
7) Are the products entirely new or similar to existing products in the market? Are they capable of being modified if required?
2. The Process
1) A description of each operation in the process from raw material to finished product. This should specify the function of each piece of equipment needed
(e.g., press to form curved metal shapes; steam boiler for heating or drying or curing; tanks for storage, pumps and pipe lines).
2) A flow diagram showing the route of each piece of raw material through its various processes.
3) A scaled and dimensioned layout of equipment and machines within the factory showing storage areas for raw materials, work in progress, finished products,
maintenance workshop, laboratory etc.
4) This plan of the layout should show the number of men at each piece of equipment during a production shift. This staffing distribution should be in line with
the numbers of workers of different degrees of skill provided subsequently in the list of workers and salary requirements.
5) Special equipment for waste treatment must be described (incinerators for burning; liquid effluent treatment plants; air filtration).
6) Specific internal factory environment controls vital to the process must be explained. For example, processing of paper and textiles requires strict
atmospheric control. Processing of food requires hygienic safeguards; toxic chemicals require safety procedures for workers and the general public; highly
inflammable materials require special concentration on fire protection. The cost of providing these safeguards will ultimately appear in either building or
equipment costs.
7) Explain the measures taken to treat the factory waste whether gas, liquid or solid in order to make it meet the specifications set out by relevant Government
Authorities.
3. Installed Capacity
1) Indicate the installed capacity of the machinery as contracted with supplier. Show detailed calculations of this capacity and the basis on which it was built
(e.g. for the production of 1,000 small units of product (A) and 100 large units of product (A) a year). The capacity of each piece of machinery should be
specified.
2) The proposed hours per day and days per year must be provided in relation to these quantities.
4. Machinery & Equipment
1) A complete detailed list of machinery and equipment must be provided.
2) Each item must be itemized by type, model, weight, etc....... . Descriptive pamphlets to be presented, whenever possible.
3) The estimated Equipment must be CIF nearest port.

4) Internal factory cranes, pallet trucks, mobile cranes; gantry cranes, monorails and other fixed lifting structures should be itemized under the heading above.
5) Adequate spare parts for at least the first year of operation must be made included.

5. Buildings
1) A location plan of the site in the appropriate city or industrial area.
2) A site plan showing the site boundaries, adjacent roads and the position and size of all buildings on the site. Proposed supporting buildings, internal roads
and parking spaces must be shown.
3) A site plan showing the positions of connection points to main utilities (sewage, water, power).
4) Drawings of buildings giving plan areas, elevations and cross sections. These drawings should clearly indicate the methods and materials of construction of
the buildings, floors and foundations.
5) A brief specification of the main features of the buildings is required.
6) A drawing showing fire prevention equipment and safety measures to guarantee the safety of the project and its workers from the danger of fire or any other
dangers that the project may face.
7) Estimation for civil works and buildings must be obtained (detailed specification or a bill of quantities).
8) In case the building and civil works quotation does not include land preparation costs, separate quotations must be provided to include, for example, the
following;
- Site clearing
- Excavation
- Infilling
- Any other special work related to land preparation.

6. Transportation
A list must be prepared of all the required transport vehicles including distribution and delivery trucks, employee cars, staff buses, forklifts, etc., An explanation
of the need for such vehicles must be provided bearing in mind that the required vehicles must be in line with the qualities of products expected to be
distributed in the initial years of operation and the areas of the products will be distribution in.
7. Furniture & Office Equipment
A list must be drawn up of office furniture and equipment required including office furniture, computers, telephone system, canteen equipment and furniture,
copying machines, etc.

8. Labour
1) In addition to the layout plan showing factory operatives? work stations (Section 2d), a complete list of all persons employed by the company is required.
This must give job titles basic monthly salaries and all additional expenses for social security, travel, accommodation, bonuses etc.
2) The source of the factory labour force should be specified (foreign, local).
3) Procedures for training people must be described and a plan for recruiting Saudis must be provided.
9. Raw Materials
1) A list of each different type of raw and packing material must be provided. This list should show the both current unit cost prices and those expected in the
first year of start up.
2) The list must include both raw materials for manufacture and items bought in as finished goods.
3) A detail calculation of raw and packaging materials for each single unit of the product must be provided. The Calculations must show the quantities required
for every raw material and its cost.
4) The annual consumption of these materials related to licensed output must be provided.
5) A reasonable allowance for wastage in processing should be made and the amount specified.

10. Utilities
1)

Requirements for electricity, fuel and water must be provided its source, type, quantity and its cost.

2)

The cost estimation should clearly state front fees, annual fees and unit price.

11. Licensing Agreement

1) State if any technical or licensing agreement between the sponsor and another company is required. Fees and cost are to be mentioned.
2) The scope of the license should clearly define the extent of participation by the licensor in technical management, technical services for installation,
commissioning and maintenance, drawings and know-how with details of proposed changes to these.

12. Pre-Operating Expenses

1) Payments to architects, consulting engineers and designers, legal expenses and other professional services required to plan the enterprise are to be stated.
Fees for feasibility studies must also be provided.
2) Estimates of all other costs leading up to plant operation should be included, such as salaries, visits abroad for purchase of equipment, raw materials used
for trial runs, etc.

Required Financial Information

1) Summary of the total project cost.
2) Sources of funding of the project cost.
3) Financial indicators such as financial ratios; break even analysis, internal rate of return, value added, etc.

6) A detailed time schedule for implementing the project from the start of the implementation to the commercial production must be provided.

How to Start a Solar Cell Manufacturing Company

by Ben Taylor, Demand Media
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What Are the Differences Between a Merchandising Company & a Manufacturing Company?

Solar cells, which are also called solar panels or photovoltaics, transform natural sunlight into usable energy. Considering the volatile future -- and affordability
-- of fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources, manufacturing solar cells for home or industrial use could prove to be a lucrative business opportunity.
Manufacturing solar cells can be a time-consuming process, so initially focus your production on a specific market for solar cells, such as the home, a farm or an
industrial setting. Beyond the day-to-day operations and planning of the business, knowledge of how solar cells work and how to most efficiently assemble
them in large quantities will also help ensure the future success of your business.
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Starting the Business

Step 1
Draft a business plan that defines the target market for your business as well as a description of the style, size and pricing structure of the solar panels you will
manufacture. The U.S. Small Business Administration identifies nine sections a business plan must include, such as an executive summary, a market analysis,
the company's organization and management and a plan to make the company profitable. Planning your solar-cell manufacturing business allows you to define
your goals while realizing the company's parameters, such as who will buy the solar panels and how many you can afford to make.
Step 2
Incorporate your business as a limited liability company -- or LLC, which will limit your personal financial liability and will also save money on your taxes.
Structuring as an LLC is beneficial to smaller companies because it allows you and any business partners to claim the business' revenue as income and thereby
avoid double-taxation. The Internal Revenue Service also limits your personal financial liability in the company to only the amount you have invested in it,
which protects your personal assets should the company be sued or face other financial or legal difficulties.
Related Reading: How to Start a Small Manufacturing Operation in Your Garage
Step 3
Enroll in a training, certification or licensure program and, if you have employees, require them to do so as well. Many of those in the solar-power manufacturing
industry have a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and a professional-engineering license, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many also

seek advanced-engineering degrees or credentials specific to generating solar energy, such as certification as a solar installer, builder and technician or a
technical-sales expert. Many community and technical colleges offer certification and associate-degree programs for solar manufacturing and service jobs,
according to the BLS, though independent-certification agencies such as the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners offer independent solarenergy certification and training programs.
Step 4
Rent, lease or buy an industrial space that is zoned for manufacturing and has enough space to accommodate your machinery and workers who will weld and
solder the more-intricate components of the panels. Many commercial-scale manufacturers use computer numerically controlled -- or CNC -- machines to
expedite production, according to the BLS; these machines range in size from 3 to 4 square feet to more than 7 square feet and are controlled by a computer
technician. Before you commit to a facility, hire a building inspector to certify that the prospective facility's electrical infrastructure is able to safely power the
machinery you intend to use.

Producing Solar Cells

Step 1
Purchase the tools, machinery and supplies you will need to begin manufacturing solar panels, which will vary based on the volume and size of the solar panels
you will build. CNC machines can produce frames, mounts and other components that support the photovoltaic cells, though you need soldering irons to
connect the photovoltaic cells, the cells themselves and diodes to ensure the electricity flows in only one direction, as well as 20-gauge electrical wire to carry
the electricity generated by the panels. Consider hiring engineers and technicians who are trained and certified in a specific segment of the manufacturing
process, such as CNC machining, welding or soldering solar panels.
Step 2
Build solar cells for the markets in which you plan to compete, such as panels for automobiles, for supplementing traditional energy sources and even for
completely powering a home or business. Network with other solar-energy professionals and potential customers by joining professional organizations, such as
the American Solar Energy Society. Increase potential customers' interest, and help secure orders, by scheduling demonstrations and information sessions.
Step 3
Define your competitive advantage -- the factors that make your manufacturing company more appealing than a customer's other choices -- then use it to
market your solar panels. Your competitive advantage might include offering customers custom-designed panels, a volume discount for bulk purchases or even
a performance warranty. As your business expands, revise your business plan to guide its growth.

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Equipment for Solar Wafer, Solar Cell and Solar Module Production
A typical silicon solar cell consists of a photoactive p/n junction formed on the surface, a front ohmic contact stripe and
fingers, a back ohmic contact that covers the entire back surface, and an antireflection coating on the front surface.
For silicon solar cell production either poly-crystalline or mono-crystalline material is used. Poly-crystalline silicon for
photo-voltaic applications is normally produced by casting methods while mono-crystalline silicon is prepared in a
Czochralski growing process.

The poly-crystalline or mono-crystalline ingots are cut to wafers. Poly-crystalline material is mostly cut to square wafers,
while mono-crystalline material is used to produce round wafers. In many cases square material with rounded edges is
prepared from round wafers in order to get a denser packing of the solar cells in the solar module.

Manufacturing of solar cells can be devided in 4 sections:

Manufacturing of pure silicon, starting from reduction of quarz sand with carbon, cleaning of the raw silicon by
transfer to trichlorosilane and destillation of it and finally deposition of poly-silicon under hydrogen atmosphere.

Manufacturing of mono or poly-crystalline crystals or blocks and cutting it to silicon wafers.

Manufacturing of the solar cells.

Manufacturing of solar modules from the solar cells.

Manufacturing of the starting material can be done only by the large silicon manufacturers and is therefore not explained
on this page in detail. All further manufacturing steps are described below. You can receive more detailed information for
many productions steps by following the links in the text..

Solar Wafer
Manufacturi
ng
Czochralski
crystal growing
(monocrystalline)
and ingot casting
(poly-crystalline)
of p-doped,
Boron-containing
Silicon
Cutting of
columns
using a wire saw
Wafer sawing
using a wire saw.
A complete block
can be cut at a
time.

Solar Cell
Manufacturi
ng
Texturing, KOHetching
for increasing the
surface and
increasing the
light absorption
n-doping with
phosphorus
(POCl3) and
diffusion in a
diffusion furnace
for formation of
the photo diode
and p/n-junction
PSG-etching with
hydrofluoric acid
HF
for removal of
the surface oxide
Anti reflection
coating ARC with

Si3N4
in PECVDequipment
for improving the
light incidence
angle
Contact
formation by
printing metal
paste on the cell,
using a screen
printing machine.
On the front side
silber fingers are
formed while the
backside is
covered
completely with
an aluminum
layer.
Firing Furnace
for metal film
hardening.

Solar
Module
Manufacturi
ng
Tabbing and
stringing
Layup on the
glass and
interconnecting,
bussing

Electric
inspection

EVA sheet and

back sheet
loading
Laminating
equipment

Edge taping and

module framing

Testing and
Packing
In order to setup a continuous production line, of course a lot of automation equipment is necessary also.

The company is Crystec can offer many types of machine for this application, new or used. For solar module
manufacturing, we can even offer a complete turn-key production line. Please send us your project requests and details!

60MW PV PANEL MANUFACTURING LINE

Fully Automatic line for 60 MW, annual output. Suitable for leadless soldering processes and BIPV modules.
Ergonomic design and optimal flow of materials for maximum process efficiency. Computerized control system for central management of the
process. Wide range of panel types can be produced with minimum adjustments, including BIPV panels.
Optimum performance with IR soldering and the best laminator in the market. State-of-the-art robotized solar simulator for maximum
compliance with international standards. Automatic sorting warehouse.

FEATURES

60MW PRODUCTION LINE

Installed Power*

320 Kw

Power Consumption*

160 Kw

Air Consumption*

5.000 L/min

Required Area (L x W )

40 X 25 m.

Operators

15 ~ 20

modules / hour

27.2

*Power requirements may vary according to final lay-out and optional equipment choices.

30MW PV PANEL MANUFACTURING LINE

Semi-automatic line for 30 MW, upgradable to 60 MW, annual output. Upgradable with automatic bussing IC20 (as shown in the picture) and
additional control stations. Suitable for leadless soldering processes and BIPV modules.
Ergonomic design and optimal flow of materials for maximum process efficiency. Wide range of panel types can be produced with minimum
adjustments, including BIPV panels.
Optimum performance with IR soldering and the best laminator in the market. State-of-the-art robotized solar simulator for maximum
compliance with international standards

FEATURES
30MW PRODUCTION LINE
Installed Power*

180 Kw

Power Consumption*

80 Kw

Air Consumption*

3.000 L/min

Required Area (L x W )

35 X 25 m.

Operators

12 ~ 16

modules / hour

13.6

*Power requirements may vary according to final lay-out and optional equipment choices.

wafer cutting line - wafer processing line

No-PROCESS NAME

1 Pre-process Large band-saw

2 Pre-process Small band-saw
3 Pre-process Chamfering
4 Pre-process Life Time Meter
5 Pre-process Surface treatment equipment
6 Adhesive Ehanced thermal tank
7 Adhesive Tank for stripping insulation
8 Slice Wire saw
9 Slice Slurry recycling equipment
10 Cleaning 1stage cleaning equipment
11 Cleaning Finish cleaning equipment
12 Cleaning Cassette insertion equipment
13 Test Wafer measurement equipment
14 Test Shrink Packing Machine
15 Test Sheet resistance meter
16 Test Drainage treatment
17 Pre-process Surface Inspector
18 Pre-process Height Gage
19 Pre-process Surface Plate for Height Gage
20 Pre-process Flat grinder
21 Adhesive Electronic Scales
22 Adhesive Block carrying equipment

23 Adhesive Block adhesive tools

24 Adhesive Resistance Measurement
25 Adhesive agitator
26 Slice Water purification equipment
27 Slice High-pressure Washers
28 Slice Guide rollers
29 Slice Slurry stirring tank
30 Slice Hydraulic Pump
31 Cleaning Basket for 1stage washing
32 Cleaning Basket for finish washing
33 Cleaning Wafer cassette
34 Drainage Seize equipment

Manufacturing of solar cells and modules.

Planning and construction of a factory.
A photovoltaic (PV) solar module or solar panel is a set of electrically connected solar cells. Its purpose is the generation
of electric current. Solar cells can be manufactured from different materials. Mostly mono-crystalline or poly-crystalline
silicon is used. For thin film solar cells, thin semiconductor layers are deposited on an inert substrate, mainly glass.
The establishment of a manufacturing line for solar cells and/or solar moduls can be organized in steps:

Start trading solar moduls prepared by our Korean partner.

Purchasing solar cells and use EMS service our partner in Korea for manufacturing solar moduls.

Buying solar cells and manufacture solar panels by yourself with machines and equipment from us.

Prepare a solar cell factory, using our equipment.

Buying
Solar Cells

Buying/EMS
Solar Moduls

You

Manufacturer

Solar Farm

Solar Cell
Manufacturing

Solar Modul
Manufacturing

Equipment

Equipment

Final Customer

The advantage of this procedure is obvious:

The market can be developed already in an early stage and customer relations can be built already during the
establishment of an own solar modul factory.

The size of the factory can be dimensioned in a way, that no larger free capacities are generated. Overshooting
demand can be covered by electronic manufacturing services EMS.

Financing can be arranged in steps and the risk of failing business is reduced.

Planning of activities; Preparation of a business plan.

In a first step, the following items have to be clarified:
1. What type of experience has the customer already with solar cell and module manufacturing?
2. Which type of solar cells should be manufactured?
3. How large is the project budget and which factory capacity should be achieved?
4. In which steps should the production be organized (mile stones)?
5. How can the project be financed?

After that the real planning can be started. It is necessary to do it in several steps:
1. Project Feasibility Phase
o Preparation of the factory architecture and layout.
o Identification of all modules required for production.
o Estimation of the rough budget.
2. Pre-implementation, Module qualification, Approved Vendor List or BOM
o Identify supply chains.

o Preparation of the specifications for the vendors.

o Qualification
o Pricing
o Factory building planning (new construction or modification), infrastructure
o Preparation of a quotation for a turnkey solution.
3. Implementation, delivery and installation (turnkey contract base).

Please contact us! We can make proposals to you, which are fitting to your needs and requests in
order to realize your photovoltaic project plans.

Overviewof Production Facility +++++++++++++++++++++++

+
CMOS process technology
There is not much change in the basic technology used for semiconductor device manufacturing process for last 3 decades. Significant
improvements have been made to different processing steps like depositing, etching, diffusing and patterning. Present day technology uses wafers
having thickness upto 750 micron. Top surface layer thickness has reduced to 1 micron.
In CMOS technology both nMOS and pMOS transistors are fabricated side by side on the same substrate. Multiple levels of metal and
planarization is used in this process. Chip crossection is dominated by interconnection layer. CMOS process technology has advantages of low DC

power consumption, high performance and flexible design options. The main technologies to do the fabrication of IC are p-well, n-well, twin tub and
Silicon On Insulator (SOI) CMOS process.
In p-well process the substrate is N-type. N channel device is formed into the p-well. The p channel device is directly constructed on the
substrate itself. For n-well it is reverse. In twin tub or twin well process both n-well and p-well are fabricated on single N-type substrate. It is possible
to tune independently threshold voltage, body effect and the channel transconductance of both P and N type transistors using this process. With n+ or
p+ as starting material , lightly doped epitaxial layer is formed on this layer n-well and p-well are formed. Unbalanced drain parasitics are observed in
p and n well CMOS process. Twin tub process avoids this problem.
Silicon On Insulator (SOI) process technology makes it possible to fabricate completely isolated pMOS and nMOS transitors side by side.
Advantages of SOI process over other CMOS technologies are avoidance of latch up problem, low parasitic capacitances, higher integration density
and higher speed.

Process plan
The overall view of the complete CMOS process flow for the fabrication of integrated circuit is briefly explained below.

Crystal growth and wafer slicing process:

Step1: obtaining the sand: sand with very good form of clean silicon is used to grow the wafer.
Step2: preparing the molten silicon bath: the sand(SiO2) is heated just above its melting point temperature of 1600C.
Step3: making the ingot: a seed containing desired crystal orientation is placed onto the molten sand bath. This crystal is slowly pulled
out(1mm/minute). Czochralski(CZ) method is used for this process. The resultant pure silicon is called an ingot.
Step 4: preparing the wafers: with a diamond saw ingot is sliced into very thin wafers.

Thickness sorting: Sliced wafers are sorted on an automated basis into bathes of uniform thickness.

Lapping and etching: Cracked or damaged surface of the silicon wafer due to slicing is removed by lapping. Crystal damages are
removed by etching process.

Thickness sorting and flatness checking: Once again wafers are sorted acording to their thickness.

Polishing process: This process can be either mechanical or chemical or both. Here uneven surface left by lapping and etching
processes are smoothened.

Final dimensions and electrical properties qualification: the wafers undergo final test to satisfy customer requirement of flatness , thickness, resistivity
and type.
Fabrication:
The prepared wafers are exposed to multiple levels of photolithography process. Each step is repeated for each mask. Mask defines the
different layers of the integrated circuit pattern which are designed using CAD tools.
First ixide(SiO2) layer is formed on the wafer.

Photolithography: Photoresist coating is applied on the surface of wafer. Wafer is aligned with mask and light source. In the
transparent areas of mask light passes through and exposes the photoresist.

Direct wafer stepping: In this method mask is kept away from the wafer. With the help of series of optics image is placed on to the
wafer. This technique allows larger mask size than the final pattern. Exposed regions of photoresist becomes hard.

Etching the wafer surface: This process removes unwanted material from the wafer. There are two main methods of etching: wet
etching and dry etching.

Wet etching: Chemicals are used for wet etching. Number of wafers are dipped in concentrated acid and exposed areas of wafers are
etched away.

Dry etching: Gas is used instead of chemical etchants.

Plasma etching: An intense electric field is applied to generate the plasma state of gaseous matter. Gases used are very reactive in
plasma state. This provides effective etching of exposed surface.

Reactive ion etching and ion milling are the other two techniques used for etching.

Implant/masking: diffusion and ion implant:

Diffusion: First photoresist is coated and patterning is done using photolithography process. Then wafer is kept in a furnace with a flow
of gas running over the wafers. Dopants are slowly diffused.

Ion implantation: Here desired dopant ions are shooted (or implanted) into the wafer. This process can handle single wafer at a time
while diffusion chamber can handle many wafers at a time.

Drive in: Wafers are heated so that implanted(or diffused) ions are go deeper into the wafer.

Annealing: Crystal lattice structure of the wafer is disturbed by the diffusion or ion implantation. To repair this wafer is heated so that
crystal structure is repeated itself.

The circuit elements are fabricated with different mask operations. Some of the final masks define interconnections.
A passivation layer is coated to protect the entire wafer from the contamination during assembly. Passivation material is etched from the bonding pads
using final mask and passivation etch. Then all ICs are tested for its functionalty and non functional ICs are marked. A diamond saw is used to cut the
wafer into indivisual chips.

Die attach/wire bond: Die is mounted on to the lead frame. A thin gold wire connects between bonding pad and lead frame.

Encapsulation: Lead frames are placed onto the mold plates and heated. Molten plastic material is pressed around each die to form its
individual IC package.

Lead finish/trim and form: Conductivity of the leads are improved by coating tin or lead solution. Then exact form of the leads as per
package requirement is formed step by step.

Final testing and shipping: Quality, reliabilty and functionality of the each chip is tested. Product type, date, package code etc are
marked on to the IC packages. Individual chips are then put into antistatic tubes for shipping.

Equipments Required
Several equipments are required for the complete wafer processing into a chip. Some of the important machines are listed here.

Crystal growers: Single crystal ingots are produced by Czochralski (CZ) method. Resistivity is adjusted using the dopants, such as
boron and phosphorus.

CZ grower [3] (click on the figure to enlarge it)

Wafer slicing machine: This is used to cut single crystal ingot to wafers.

Spinner (Photo resist Coater): A spinner used to apply photoresist to the surface of a silicon wafer. Spin speed and spin time can be
adjusted.

Wafer Cleaners: The processed wafers are cleaned and inspected to be polished wafers.

 Wafer shaping machines (Lapping machines): These machines are used to remove surface roughness.

Wafer polishing machine: Used to make the wafer surface highly flat.

SIMOX implanter: Defects made in the wafer surface are removed by annealing and ion implantation. This machine does this job.

Epitaxial furnace: This is shown in the Figure (10). This furnace is used for Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) to grow epitaxial layer.

Hydrogen annealing furnace: Used to improve the surface crystalline perfection by hydrogen annealing.

Aligner: This machine is used to align mask to wafer or wafer to wafer.

Generally these machines have 4 modes of operation: proximity, hard and soft contact, vacuum contact. Machine configuration allows
processing of 300 inch wafers.

(click on the figure to enlarge it)

Etchers: Anisotropic etchings of nitride, oxide, silicon and polymer layers are possible with this machine. Plasma machines generally use chlorine- and

fluorine-based chemistries for etching various Si, polysilicon, nitride, tungsten, tungsten silicide films. These machines have different
selectivity options. Laser interferometer is used for etch rate determination and end point detection. Some etchers have four
independent process chambers. These etchers are capable of metals, oxides and nitrides, silicon and polysilicon. Wafer size can be up
to 300 mm.

E-Beam Lithography System: This is Ultra high resolution E-beam lithography system. Ultimate resolution specified to 60 nm with
sub-30 nm features possible with this machine. E beam is directly exposed to wafers up to 300 mm diameter.

Sputter Coater machines: This is used for depositing a conductive coating for visualizing SEM samples.

Ellipsometer: Ellipsometer allows measurement of the thickness and refractive index of very thin transparent films.

Surface Profile meter: This instrument is used to measure step heights and roughness of surfaces. It also measures many other
surface topography parameters. The measurement technique is either contact or contact less; both are used in the industry. Optical
phase shifting interferometry concept is being used in the equipment.

Asher: Used to strip the photo resist from the wafer. Plasma of oxygen and nitrogen reacts with the photo resist and burns off the wafer.

(click on the figure to enlarge it)

Laser Writer (mask making machine): This machine accepts GDS II format input file and generate mask patterns.

Film Thickness Measurement: This system uses non-contact, spectro-reflectometry (measurement of the intensity of reflective light
as a function of incident wavelength) to determine the thickness of transparent films on substrates, such as silicon, that are reflective in
the visible range.

Resistivity Measurement: This resistive measurement instrument collects and analyzes sheet resistance data on various conductive
layers such as implants, diffusions, epi, metals and bulk substrates.

Wafer Dicing saw: This machine is used to cut the wafers into individual die. It utilizes rotary blade. Some wafer cutting machine
diamond saw.

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope: This is high resolution imaging instrument. This instrument has a resolution of 5nm
and less.

Film Stress Tester: This equipment measures the stress induced by the deposited films on a substrate. Deflection of a scanning laser
beam is used for the measurement. With and without the deposited film change in the curvature of the wafer is measured.

Developer: Exposed photo resist wafers are developed with the help of this machine. This machine has facility for dispensing developer and
post bake oven station. Number wafers and size of the wafer which can be processed is machine specific.

Flow area required to install and use the equipments

There is distinct difference in the requirements of the laboratories and the clean room. Significant differences can be found in the requirements
of in these two areas.
Total area required for the complete fabrication plant along with its all support facilities is likely to be 1,00,000 sf.( square feet). Building is
considered to be of one floor i.e. ground floor. Thus the individual area required for the fabrication plant is approximately as follows
All remaining space of clean room quality class 100,1000 and 10,000 including office area, stock room, storage ar: the manufacturing,
production and assembly area is around 1,500 sf; the production and lab support areas like service area, maintenance group area, CAD facilities etc
cover around 25,000 sf; utility areas such as conference rooms, library, lounge etc cover around 6,000 sf of the fabrication plant; the main laboratory

requires an area of around 2,000 sf. Thus the required area for the clean room of class 10 is around 3,000 to 5,000 sf. ea for gases cover around 10,000
sf. Remaining area is required for loading and unloading duck , DI water plant, cold and chilled water plant, several other gas storage and purifying
plants. If clean room of class 10 is having an area around 5,000 sf then the supporting clean room area can be around 6,000sf.

Fabrication plant layout and location of equipments

A general layout of the fabrication plant is shown in the Figure. The layout shows a general distribution of area for different processes and
facilities. Fluorescent lighting system is used for the fabrication building. Class 10 clean room is lighted with yellow fluorescent light. Photo resists are
less sensitive to the yellow light. All other areas of the building are lighted with fluorescent lamp. Fire protection systems are installed all over the
fabrication plant. The layout for the lithography, etching and diffusion operation are kept nearer to each other as these processes are repeated several
times. Conference rooms, library and other office rooms are outside the clean room. The clean room quality for these areas can be up to class 10,000.
Temperature and humidity are controlled to 73.4F +/- 5.0 F, 50% +/- 10% RH. The clean room maintains at least .05" H2O over atmospheric.
Placement of equipment in the fabrication plant is a very critical issue. Airflow and the ultimate cleanliness capability of the area surrounding
the equipment have to be maintained adequately as per the standard requirement of the fabrication plant. For the placement of the equipment several
factors have to be considered. Size and the shape of the equipment mainly decide the area requirement of the equipment. In addition to this the other
factors to be considered are the access required to operate and service the equipment, the location and number of utility connections to the equipment,
and the amount of support equipment located near the equipment and how it connects to the equipment. Equipment locations must satisfy all safety
related standards.
Today, bulk head mounting design methodology is used for most of the semiconductor equipments. In this design bulk of the equipment resides
in the chase and remaining small portion of the equipment is located in clean room. The preferred method for equipment placement is to keep the
equipment face is flush with the clean room wall. This design allows easy air flow, the best possible easy access to the equipment. Utilities are well
connected to the system. Highest level of cleanliness can be maintained.

Layout of the fabrication facility [3] (click on the figure to enlarge it)
In addition to the main equipments many supporting equipments are used in the fabrication plant. Location for such support equipments must
be carefully planned. It is good practice to keep supporting equipments in chase. If they are kept in clean room they disturb the airflow and also require
additional maintenance activities. This eats up clean room floor area.
Airflow requirement has to be considered when equipment cant be bulkhead mounted. The key in the equipment placement is to ensure that
the cleanest air coming from ULPA filters is directed to the critical areas of the equipment.

The floor above the clean room is used for air handlers and heat exchangers. Support equipments such as air compressors, chilled water,
vacuum pumps and acid neutralizers are kept away from the clean room. Storing corrosive and toxic gases in clean room is hazardous. Hence they are
stored and monitored away from the main laboratory itself. An outdoor area, known as facility area, is utilized for storing the DI water, chilled water,
liquid gases and emergency power generators. Support facilities are essential for the smooth clean room operation. Stock room, semi clean laboratory,
maintenance work areas and staff offices are located near to the clean room.
Fire suppression systems are installed such that they provide suitable fire protection to the equipment, contribute no contamination to the
equipment, and allow proper airflow to the product-wafer areas. Fire extinguishers are located at strategic locations throughout the clean room and
other sub laboratory areas. Generally preferred area is the chase. Location of extinguishers should not be in the airflow path leading to product-wafer
areas.

Service facilities
Brief explanation of the several service facilities required for the fabrication plant is given below.

Emergency gas shutoff systems: This system is a pressurized loop tied to normally closed valves on hazardous gases entering the
fabrication plant. The emergency shutoff stations located at different strategic points around the plant.

Toxic gas monitoring system: This is either a microprocessor or PLC controlled system. The system monitors the hazardous level of
different hazardous gases of type-hydride, oxidizer, mineral acid and pyrolyzer at both sides-source and at the point of use. Inputs of
the gas monitoring system are located at the point of use and the exhaust duct immediately upstream from where an emission is most
likely to occur. When installing such detection systems specific gravity of the gases has to be taken into consideration.

Containment pressure monitoring system: This system mainly checks three important conditions: high pressure, low pressure and
zero (atmospheric) pressure. High and low pressure indicates leakage of gases while atmospheric pressure in the gas supply pipe
indicates a catastrophic failure of the system.

Safety Shower/Eyewash Stations: The place where hazardous liquids are used there safety showers and eyewash stations are
required. Locations must be chosen such that an electrical hazard is not created by the discharge of the safety shower. Any electrical
outlets in proximity to the shower must be protected by ground-fault circuit interruption.

 Fire Suppression Systems and extinguishers: Those equipments having combustible material and chemical are
equipped with fire suppression and extinguishable systems. The extinguishers used should be compatible with the
chemicals used in the system.

Particle Filters (HEPA and ULPA): HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) Filters rated 99.99% are efficient in filtering particles 0.3
microns and larger in diameter. ULPA (Ultra-Low Penetration Air) Filters rated 99.999% can efficiently filter particles of size 0.12 microns
in diameter. These filters are available in variety of sizes which are specifically designed and used for clean rooms of class 10
specification. The filtration medium consists of highly efficient micro porous polyurethane mini plates.

Air handlers: Air handlers consisting of ULPA and HEPA filters handle recirculation of air in clean room to maintain positive pressure
and to provide cooling to support areas and office.

Exhaust system: Exhaust systems treat hazardous gases prior to being scrubbed by the fluoride exhaust.

High Purity Bulk Gases: Different bulk gases required to the wafer fabrication building. They are: nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen.
Oxygen and nitrogen are required of two different qualities, one is ultra high purity and the other is "house" quality.

Chilled water supply system: Water from this system is used for dehumidification on the outside air units.

Vacuum pumps: These systems provide necessary vacuum for the machines located at clean room and elsewhere.

Air compressors: Air compressors provide 60 deg C dew point air to the Wafer building.

PV production: The dawn of the "gigawatt" fab

by Mark Osborne
08/11/2008
Rapid growth in the demand for photovoltaics has enabled an aggressive ramp of production not just on the part of
the leading PV manufacturers, but also by many new entrants in only the last few years. Continued robust demand is
resulting in larger economies of scale production that, when combined primarily with a steady improvement in
conversion efficiencies, is leading the industry towards a cost-per-watt level that could finally reach grid parity at
peak usage levels by the 2012 timeframe. However, this may not in itself lead to the claimed industry goal without a
shift to large-scale gigawatt manufacturing facilities. We discuss the opportunities for scaling PV manufacturing with
Robert Gattereder, Managing Director of M+W Zander FE GmbH after a detailed study challenges the current mindset
and forces manufacturers to consider scaling manufacturing to new heights.

Solar-Report as PDF-Document

Wafer-based PV manufacturing: design and integrated layout concept. Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH
The vast majority of fabrication facilities are small and under 25MW annual production levels. Simply multiplying
such conventional facilities in the race to grid parity is seen as insufficient for continued cost-per-watt reductions.
Fully integrated and highly automated facilities will be required, and the scaling of single-site facilities to the gigawatt
level is a strategic move that both conventional crystalline cell and emerging thin film producers would be wise to
adopt.

Wafer-based manufacturing design and integrated layout. Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH
The need for scale
After a detailed study undertaken in 2006/7 with involvement from equipment suppliers and PV manufacturers from
both cell and thin film camps, M+W Zander FE GmbH, a leading high-technology cleanroom, design and construction
company with many years experience in major projects around the world, realized that significant changes would be
required in the building and operating of largescale PV manufacturing plants if the cost reductions required to meet
grid parity were to be achieved.

Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH

"I think the industry has to understand now and hopefully accept is that to reach its potential it needs to scale
facilities to the gigawatt level" noted Robert Gattereder, Managing Director of M+W Zander FE GmbH. "Such levels
cannot be achieved by 10X at 100MW lines. The costs will not come down sufficiently and the environmental issues
are there in relation to chemical usage based on current facility designs without a fresh approach in achieving real
economies of scale." Gattereder highlighted that conventional PV manufacturing lines are based on a linear process
flow arrangement according to their process function, typically employing manual Wafer In Process (WIP)
transportation. Capacity is simply increased by adding further new lines in adjacent space.

Left: wafer production at Deutsche Solar AG. Source: SolarWorld AG. Right: production for solar cells. Source: M+W
Zander FE GmbH
Though this is the typical approach taken by PV manufacturers, Gattereder believes that improvements to these
conventional Farm cell line facilities is still possible. He noted that improvements to equipment utilization can be
realized that in turn reduce the number of tools required and reduce the manufacturing area required. Further
savings could be achieved in regard to cutting labor costs, but as labor only accounts for a mere 3 to 5 percent of
total operating costs, according to Gattereder, such improvements do not meet the required reductions in
manufacturing costs to reach grid parity.
In the M+W Zander analysis (see table 1), the focus on scaling waferbased PV manufacturing highlighted that
manufacturing cost savings in the region of 15 percent were possible when production reached the gigawatt level.
The largerscaled facility could have a more efficient line and tool layout that actually delivers the true cost savings

required. (see table 2).

"Manufacturing cost savings in the region of 15 percent were possible when production reached the
gigawatt level"
M+W Zander believes that the waferbased gigawatt fab will need to be highly integrated and scalable. Due to capital
costs and manufacturing ramp timescales, a gigawatt fab could be established in two major steps. The plant (see
Figure 1, overleaf ) would consist of approximately two 450MW modules with each module having a dedicated
wafering , cell manufacturing and module assembly area.
A key manufacturing cost reduction aspect of this design, M+W Zander believes, is that the main facilities area
positioned between each module would service and support both modules requirements, thus making savings for
considerable facilities with such large-scale manufacturing.
"When we talk about the gigawatt fab we are also talking about the production capacity which is 750,000 wafers a
day.Then one thinks of the usage level of something like UPW and its enormous, something in the range of 250-300
cubic meters an hour. This, we feel, creates the need for solutions not only in recycling but in usage. What we do not
consume we dont have to recycle", said Gattereder. Gattereder noted that water recycling, for example, is not a
general practice, as historically PV production levels have been low. The mindset therefore needs to change for
megawatt manufacturing in the form of a bottom-up approach.
"What we found out was that cost improvements are possible in regard to the consumption of water, process
chemicals and energy. These all have high potential for reducing costs."
"When we talk about the gigawatt fab we are also talking about the production capacity which is
750,000 wafers a day"
Gattereder quickly added that, "Just a focus on chemical usage our assumption is that we need to achieve a 50
percent recycling of HF chemicals in the facility and at least a 60 percent plus level of recycling of Ultra Pure Water
(UPW). This should bring us a several percent reduction in cost, excluding the wafer."

Green Energy high efficiency and reduced CO2 footprint. Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH
For a fully utilized gigawatt facility, Gattereder also expects the need for 25-30 megawatts of required energy. This
would necessitate a co-generation or tri-generation solution, something similar to that used by semiconductor
microprocessor manufacturer AMD in Dresden, Germany, whose co-generation plant M+W Zander project managed.
The challenge is to combine the reduction of cost-per-watt, but also to reduce the carbon footprint while providing
greater energy efficiency as shown in Figure 2.
This will become an important issue later as many experts expect carbon tariffs on industries to be implemented
across several countries in the not too distant future.

Table 2 Thin film manufacturing: scaling and productivity considerations. Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH
"Overall, there is no low-hanging fruit, so we have to combine a variety of factors to gain the cost advantages. The
important message is that there is a productivity gain of 15 percent when considering the scaling of the facilities",
commented Gattereder.

Thin film scaling

As part of the study, M+W Zander also looked at the thin film manufacturing area, which has gained considerable
interest from new entrants. For example, major equipment suppliers such as Applied Materials, Oerlikon Solar and
Ulvac can offer turnkey manufacturing solutions, while side-stepping the persistent polysilicon supply shortages and
intrinsic higher raw material costs associated with supply constraints. Thin film therefore offers the ability-based
available capital to ramp production to larger scales without the silicon hindrance.

Left: Thin film production with technology by Oerlikon. Source: Oerlikon Solar. Right: Applied SunFab: Production
linie for thin film modules. Source: Applied Materials.
However, there are few current examples of companies proving that rapid scaling of thin film plants is achievable at
levels greater than those of crystalline wafers. The only clear example of this is First Solar. In its February 2008
financial conference call, the company revealed that it expects annual capacity to reach approximately 1 gigawatt by
the end of 2009 with the expected full ramp of all four plants in Malaysia going to plan. Capital spending in 2008 has
been put at US0 million to expand capacity towards that goal.

First Solar 1 GW production schedule by end of 2009. Source: First Solar Inc.;M+W Zander FE GmbH
However, it should be noted that First Solars capacity ramp is based on multiple facilities, some of which are not
centred in Malaysia. But what it does highlight is that First Solar has been able to ramp thin film production towards
the 1 gigawatt scale faster than the top five wafer-based PV manufacturers (see Figure 3), few of which expect to
reach the 1 gigawatt level in the same period.
According to M+W Zander, thin film fabs could benefit from an area ratio improvement of as much as 12 percent
when scaled to the gigawatt production level, as shown in Table 2. Another revealing aspect of the M+W Zander
study is the ability for thin film facilities to be even more cost-competitive at the gigawatt scale. With overall utility
cost savings as highlighted earlier, a comparison between wafer-based and thin film manufacturing (see Table 3)
shows that thin film utility demands are significantly less than those for wafers.

Table 3. Sample Utility requirements: Giga fab manufacturing. Source: M+W Zander FE GmbH

Cost and Prices

Subject: Re: Factory for Egypt

Dear Professor !
Please find enclosed our informations based onto 250/260 Watt 60 cell 6 inch design J.v.G, desert solar modules 70 MW pa:
Module factory:

cells plus all other materials (glass, foils, ribbons, flux, labels, JB, ALU, bar code,
etc.) is roughly 36 Euro Cent (if you take best materials) per Wattpeak

sale price is roughly 55 Euro Cent per Wattpeak

up to now we made about 100 business studies and found out that the costs of the
factory is round about between 2,5 and 3,5 million Euros (depends onto the
country)

if you calculate with highest costs, you yearly turnover is 38.5 Mio Euro

your profit is = 13,3 million Euros - minus 3,5 million Euros = 10 million Euros pa

so now lets calculate as follows:

90 percent availability of the line

loss while production 5 % (conversion and breaks)

maintennace 5 % per year

Your minimum profit should be then:

8 million Euros (second year)
In the first year you make a big loss of about 3 million Euros (rampup, learn curve, cash
flow problems etc.)
So after three years you should have back all your invest.
Cell factory:
This depends very strong onto the type of cells, I would prefer high class cells with more
then 25 % efficiency which we have available
But now we calculate with normal eff 70 MW !

wafer price, plus all other materials (silver, led, fluids, gases, print materials, etc.)
17 Cent per Wattpeak

sale price is roughly 20 Euro Cent

up to now we made about 14 business studies and found out that the costs of the
factory is round about between 1,5 and 2,5 million Euros (depends onto the
country)

if you calculate with highest costs, you yearly turnover is 14 Mio Euro

your profit is = 2,1 million Euros minus 2,5 million Euros = minus !

so now lets calculate as follows:

90 percent availability of the line

loss while production 2 % (conversion and breaks)

maintennace 5 % per year

So you see cell factory cannot be profitable, only if we can get better prices for high class
cells.
Sale price of high eff cells must be more then 25 Euro Cent !
Recommendation:
Invest in higher Module capacity and buy cells from external !

Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on December 2 nd, 2014 announced to build a new solar photovoltaic (PV) module factory in

Eumseong, Chungbuk, South Korea. The company will invest USD 12 million to build the facility, which is scheduled to begin
production in the second quarter of 2015 with an annual manufacturing capacity of 230 megawatt (MW)

Polysilicon, Wafers, Cells and Modules

Pricing for polysilicon and PV components was stable in Q3 2013 due to strong demand pickup from Japan, the EU, and China, as well as a more
consolidated supply chain. Blended polysilicon prices stayed flat at $19/kg, while Tier 1 Chinese delivered module ASPs were up to $0.70/W, 3%
higher than Q2 2013 levels of $0.68/W.

Include the above table

The first is the price of solar modules, which shows a rebound. The second is the crucial one for the future of the industry, and its ability to undercut
fossil fuels over the long term, because it shows that the cost of manufacture of a solar module will fall around 20 per cent over the year despite the
60-80 per cent falls achieved over the previous three to four years. The same story is expected to be repeated among many other manufacturers.

Photovoltaic production equipment - second hand & top quality

Laminator Meier 2 Panele

Price: 59.000 EUR

Laminator 3S 4 Panele

Price: 119.000 EUR

Stringer Komax 3 BB

Price: 159.000 EUR

Stringer GT 2 BB

Price: 39.000 EUR

Cuttin machine Rosenthal SHEETMASTER

Price: 19.000 EUR

J.v.G. vertical Glas Washer

Price: 39.000

PV Turn Key Line 70 MW used (nearly new)

Used Line but nearly new! / Less than 500 working hours

On stock! / 70 MW capacity / Highly automated

Including J. v. G. Desert machines

Including patented J. v. G. Soldering Lamps for ultra thin cells

Including full service: training, installation and so on

Including Warranty

German machineries, PV line "Made in Germany"

Complete line with all relevant machines and interconnection

25-30 MWp second hand solar cell production line

Stringer Komax Xcell 3300

Price: 85.000

Stringer JVG

Price: 125.000

Solar #2 Source Of New Electricity In 2013 (+ More Graphs & Charts)

March 14th, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

And here are some on solar power growth and projected growth in the U.S.:

For more on the report released today, see:

U.S. Solar PV Market Grew 76% In 2012 (Charts)

SEIA & GTM Host U.S. Solar Energy Year In Review On-Air Google Hangout

Keep up to

What Is The Current Cost Of Solar Panel

February 4th, 2014 by Zachary Shahan
If youre considering solar, and youre like most people, one of the first questions you may ask is: How much do solar panels cost? Solar is a great
idea for many people, not only to cut their utility bills but also to reduce their dependence on their utility, while also cutting their own personal
footprint. The cost of solar is one major element in the decision to go solar, however.

I can very easily answer the question How much do solar panels cost? (see below), but I think the real question youre asking is How much will it
cost to put solar panels on my roof? Thats a more complicated question to answer, but Ill explain in more detail and provide some useful perspective
on that in the article below.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost Today?

Solar panels themselves are now a global product. Theres tremendous variation in the cost of solar panels based on the type and efficiency of the solar
panels. However, the type of panels used for residential solar installations is quite standard and the costs are basically set globally. That cost has fallen
tremendously within the past few years theyre now about half the price they were in 2008, and about 100 times lower than they were back in 1977.
The latest US Solar Market Insight report (from Q3) put the price at $0.70/watt. A report from REC Solar shows that the price in Q2 as a bit higher
about $0.73/watt. Still, the price is very low compared to 2008 or 2009, and insanely low compared to 2000.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost On My Roof?

But when you ask How much do solar panels cost?, what I think you really want to know is how much it costs to put solar panels on your roof,
right?
The bulk of the price of going solar is now the soft costs (installation, permitting, etc.) rather than the solar panel cost. Again referencing the
latest US Solar Market Insight report, the average installed cost of a residential solar panel system was $4.72/watt. However, prices vary tremendously
by region. Common residential system prices ranged from less than $3.00/W to just above $7.00/W, the Solar Energy Industries Association writes.
The total price of a system, of course, varies tremendously based on the size of your roof and your electricity needs.
So, the key is really just to get an initial quote and then get a closer look at your situation from a local installer, who can give you a more specific
quote.

How Much Does It Cost To Go Solar? & How Much Will I Save?
But when it comes down to it, what you probably really need to know is how much it will cost you to actually go solar. And a related question would
be how much you will save in the long run.
In many places now, you can go solar for $0 or close to $0 down through solar leasing companies or through simple bank loans. Then youre just
paying monthly payments like you would on a house, car, or college loan. However, in this case, your payments are likely to be less than the amount

of money youre saving on your electricity bill. So, really, youre not paying any more than youre already paying for electricity youre saving
money!

Curves From FRAUHOFER pv technologie+maerkete

Cost Structure Buildup: Silicon Cost/Usage!

c-Si Cast Mono+Diamond Wire+Selective Emitter, Q4 2009-Q4 2016E

Cost Structure Buildup: Module Processing!

1 GW EU/JP/US Fab, Cast Mono c-Si + Selective Emitter!

Co
st
An
aly
sis
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Ph
ot
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s

17

Table 4.1 summary of

The worldwide markeT price of

pv

modules

, Q4 2009 To Q1 2012
Factory-gate price in Europe (USD/Watt)

2009
PV module suppliers
High efficiency c-Si

Q4
2.45

2010
Q1
2.22

Q2
2.25

2011
Q3
2.29

Q4
2.21

Q1
2.20

Q2
2.15

2012
Q3
2.10

Q4
2.00

Q1
1.94

Japanese/Western c-Si **

1.98

1.81

1.83

1.74

1.66

1.40

1.27

1.08

1.22

1.22

Chinese major c-Si ***

1.51

1.42

1.52

1.51

1.45

1.39

1.39

1.39

1.39

1.24

Emerging economies c-Si

****

1.45

1.35

1.42

1.43

1.43

1.36

1.31

1.03

1,02

1.02

High efficiency thin-film (via

distribution, First Solar )

1.26

1.30

1.39

1.37

1.27

1.16

1.05

0.98

0.93

0.93

Factory-gate price in the United States (USD/Watt)

High efficiency c-Si

2.86

2.20

2.55

2.55

2.53

2.30

2.30

2.30

2.30

2.20

Japanese/Western c-Si

2.10

2.05

1.95

1.95

1.93

1.91

1.91

1.91

1.91

1.82

Chinese major c-Si

1.91

1.87

1.83

1.87

1.80

1.43

1.43

1.47

1.43

1.34

Emerging economies- c-Si

1.89

1.75

1.70

1.78

1.74

1.50

1.50

1.50

1.50

1.41

High efficiency thin-film (via

distribution, First Solar)

1.21

1.20

1.22

1.25

1.19

1.20

1.22

1.25

0.93

0.93

Notes: Based on short-term contract prices for quantities of 0.5 MW or more. Spot market prices are typically more volatile. * Sunpower
and Sanyo ** Sharp, Kyocera, Solarworld and Schoth *** Suntech, Yungli, Trina Solar and Green Energy, etc. **** Chinese, Korean and Indian
manufacturers.
Sources: Solarbuzz, 2011; Photovoltaik, 2012 and Luo, 2011.

(emerging economy manufacturers) and USD 2.21/W (high efficiency c-Si

modules), while thin-film PV modules cost USD 1.27/W. In the United
States, the
price range for monocrystalline silicon PV modules was between USD 1.74/W
and USD 2.53/W, with thin-film PV modules costing USD 1.19/W. In general,
factory-gate prices appear to be slightly higher in the United States than in
Europe (Figure 4.3). This is perhaps due to the higher support offered by
United States policies in 2010. Also, Chinese modules tend to be cheaper than
modules from OECD manufacturers. In the past this could be attributed to their
lower quality, but this is not always the case as today many Chinese makers
meet international and OECD national quality standards.
PV module prices have continued to decline in 2011 and the lowest prices in
the market were USD 1.59/W

for monocrystralline PV modules, USD 1.63/W for multicrystralline PV

modules, USD 1.52/W for CdTe thin-film PV modules and USD 1.22/W for
amorphous silicon PV modules (Bolman, 2011). However, average prices
are significantly higher. In Germany, market prices for PV modules made
in Europe and the United
States (excluding those from First Solar and Sunpower), averaged USD
2.15/W in the second quarter of 2011, slightly higher than those of Japanese
PV modules at USD 2.13/W. In contrast, the price of PV modules from Asian
countries was USD 1.87/W.
The PV module prices presented so far are factory gate prices. Accurate
data on retail prices for PV modules
are difficult to obtain, but are estimated to be between

35% and 45% higher than factory gate prices (Figure

4.4). The purchase of multiple PV modules can reduce