Solar technology company Innovalight and Yingli Green Energy marry Chinese manufacturing with US expertise

27 July 2010

To combine low-cost Chinese manufacturing and US technological expertise, solar technology developer Innovalight has signed a research and production deal with Chinese solar module manufacturer Yingli Green Energy.

Innovalight has developed a solar ink that boosts efficiency when added to crystalline silicon solar cells, licencing techniques for making the printing tools but developing the solar ink in-house.

Licencing marks one of the few ways that Western companies can tap the Chinese market and get around the fact that China will likely continue to enjoy advantages in low-cost manufacturing, it said.

Combining with companies like Innovalight allows Chinese companies to accelerate their product lines, it added.

The company said its solar ink increases efficiency by about a percentage point, meaning that a solar cell rated at 18 per cent efficiency is ramped up to 19 per cent efficiency.

This increase in efficiency is magnified when the solar cells are scaled up. The solar ink turns a 30MW per year line into a 35MW line without the need for additional equipment.

But the effect of the solar ink is lessened when cells are incorporated into solar panels.

With an eye to future development, Innovalight said that next year the ink will add two percentage points to overall efficiency, with a target of adding three percentage points in 2012.

Innovalight signed a three-year deal with Chinese solar company JA Solar earlier this year.

While the company said it could produce its own solar cells, it has largely shifted to producing solar inks for others and collaborating on research. It explains that this decision averts the need to raise capital to build solar factories and it insulates the company from the ‘brutal price competition’ in the solar industry.

Several other solar companies have shifted towards a licensing or component model rather than producing solar cells or solar modules.

Innovalight cited Nanostellar, which has moved into the production of catalytic powders for diesel engines. Other companies to have moved away from linear solar production include e-Solar and Mission Motors, it said.

Copyright © 2010 NewNet

Tags: solar

This story was published on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 10:31 am and is filed under North America, companies, solar. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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