Since China began to develop the first crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell in 1958, it has now been more than half a century. Photovoltaic expert and Cui Rongqiang, director of the Shanghai Jiaotong University Solar Energy Research Institute, pointed out: "China's solar cells have also gone from scratch, from space to ground, from military to civilian, from small to large, from single to multiple varieties, and Photovoltaic conversion efficiency from low to high difficult and brilliant course."
According to statistics, from 2002 to the present, China's solar cell production surged 77 times. In 2008, China's solar cell output accounted for about one-third of the world's total output. It has become the world's largest solar cell producer for two consecutive years.
In 1839 the French physicist Becquerel first discovered the photovoltaic effect; in 1954 the United States Bell Laboratory made the first monocrystalline silicon solar cell; in 1983 the United States established the largest solar power plant in the world at the time... Humans never had Stop chasing the sun.
1969 Developed silicon solar battery pack
In 1958, China developed the first silicon single crystal
Wang Zanuo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “The United States pulled out its first silicon single crystal around 1957, and China’s first silicon single crystal was also developed in 1958. Subsequently, the newly established semiconductor research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially started. Research and develop solar cells."
Initially, the battery developed was mainly used in the space field. From 1958 to 1965, the efficiency of the PN junction cells developed by semiconductors has increased by leaps and bounds, and the efficiency of 10×20mm cells has stabilized at 15%, which is not much different from the international level.
From 1968 to the end of 1969, Semiconductors assumed the task of developing and producing silicon solar panels for the "Practical Satellite No. 1". In the study, the researchers found that P+/N silicon monolithic solar cells encounter electron radiation when operating in space, causing the battery to attenuate, making the battery unable to operate in space for a long time.
As a result, the 6-member team including Wang Zhanguo began to research the radiation effect of silicon solar cells for artificial satellites. During the experimental process, due to the immature technology and backward equipment, Wang Zongguo’s right hand suffered severe electron burns. Since then, he has been suffering. Only until the summer of 1978 did skin surgery be relieved. The reporter noticed that there are some black folds on the back of the right hand of Academician Wang Zhanguo. This is the mark of the old scientists’ dedication to science.
After hard work, the experimental results brought great surprises to researchers. Academician Wang Zhanguo introduced that the ability of NP-junction silicon solar cells to resist electron irradiation is dozens of times larger than that of PN-junction silicon cells! Subsequently, the semiconductor company made a decision to change the silicon PN battery to NP and put it into production. It produced 5,690 NP-junction silicon solar cells, of which 3,350 finished products had been used for space applications and successfully completed the "Practice 1" satellite. Solar panel development and production tasks. In 1971, Practice No. 1 was launched and lifted. During the eight-year life span, the solar battery power dropped by less than 15%. The project won a major achievement award at the National Science Conference in 1978.
In 1969, the semiconductor industry stopped the development of silicon solar cells. Subsequently, Tianjin 18 developed and produced solar arrays for the Dongfenghong No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 series geosynchronous orbit satellites.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said: “At the end of the 1970s, China and the international community conducted a research on a gallium arsenide solar cell. The cell has a high light emission and light absorption coefficient. In 1999, the conversion efficiency of a 2×2 cm2 cell reached 22%.â€
In 1975, Ningbo and Kaifeng successively set up a solar cell factory. The cell manufacturing process mimics the earlier process of producing space cells, and the application of solar cells begins to fall from space to the ground.
Since the 1980s, China's solar cells have entered an embryonic stage, and research and development work has begun in various places, but progress has been slow.
Cui Rongqiang said that in 1986, the State Development Planning Commission listed the topic of “solar batteries†in the “Seventh Five-year Plan for Rural Energy†(1986-1990). Six universities and six research institutes nationwide began to implement crystalline silicon batteries, etc. Research.
In the late 1980s, China has introduced a number of solar cell production lines, including a 1MW (megawatt) production line imported from Canada by the Yunnan Semiconductor Factory. This has enabled the production capacity of Chinese solar cells to be reduced from the original hundreds of KW (kilowatts). Raised to 4.5MW, this production capacity continued until 2002, and the output was only about 2MW.
"The end of the 1990s was the steady development period of China's solar cells. After introduction, digestion, absorption, and re-innovation, the solar cell production technology and process have been steadily developed and improved, and the production volume has steadily increased, basically meeting the needs of the domestic market and having A small amount of exports." Cui Rongqiang said.
In 1998, the Chinese government began to pay attention to solar power, plans to build the first 3MW polysilicon battery and application system demonstration project, this news so that the current chairman of Tianwei Yingli New Energy Co., Ltd. Miao Liansheng saw a glimmer of dawn. However, at the time, the prospects for the development of the solar energy industry were not yet clear. Constrained by policy factors, many people had been deterred from this new energy project. Under the circumstances of the partner's withdrawal, Miao Liansheng resolutely bucked the trend and won the approval of this project, becoming the first person in the Chinese solar energy industry to "eat crabs."
In 2001, Suntech established a 10MWp (megawatt) solar cell production line. In September 2002, Suntech's first 10MW solar cell production line was formally put into production. The production capacity was equivalent to the sum of the previous four national solar cell productions in one stroke. The gap in the international photovoltaic industry has been shortened by 15 years.
On December 14th, 2005, Suntech Solar Power Co., Ltd. was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Suntech’s “First Rich Effect†brought about by its unparalleled development and launched the accelerator of the Chinese solar energy industry, the production and research and development of domestic solar cells. Also entered the fast lane.
Tianwei Yingli company related person in charge, December 19, 2003, the company's project formally passed the national acceptance, all put into production, to fill the gap in China can not commercial production of polycrystalline silicon solar cells.
From 2003 to 2005, under the spur of the European market, especially the German market, Suntech and Baoding Yingli continued to expand their production. Many Other companies have established solar cell production lines to rapidly increase the production of solar cells in China. At present, China's solar cell output accounts for the world 30% of total production.
Academician Wang Zhanguo pointed out: "In recent years, China has made some breakthroughs in the research and development of solar cell-related technologies. However, there may be some gaps compared with foreign countries, mainly in terms of technological level, industry, and market development. For example, several typical suns. The best laboratory efficiency of batteries is lower than that of foreign countries. The laboratory efficiencies of monocrystalline silicon and polysilicon in China are 19.8% and 16.5%, respectively, while those in foreign countries are 24.8% and 19.8%, respectively."
Moreover, Academician Wang Zhanguo stated that many of the equipment used in solar cell manufacturing in China are imported from abroad and consume large amounts of capital. Therefore, we should increase the R&D and manufacturing of equipment to reduce costs.
Solar street light installed beside Beijing subway station
In 2005, China opened the prelude to the development of polysilicon
Polysilicon is the "lifeblood" of the entire solar cell industry. The shortage of polysilicon raw materials has kept the cost of solar cells high, severely restricting the development of the solar cell industry and the market.
In addition, the advanced production technology of polysilicon raw materials has been basically in the hands of several major producers such as the United States, Japan, and Germany. For various reasons (suppliers' doubts about the ability of the photovoltaic industry to maintain stable demand, the need for technology and market monopolization, and the lags behind expansion of production), none of these companies announced the establishment of a factory in China, let alone technology transfer.
Yan Dazhou, deputy chief engineer of Luoyang China Silicon High-tech Co., Ltd., said: “The domestic photovoltaic companies must get rid of the situation that is controlled by people and must 'work hard to internal strength', take the road of independent research and development, and increase technological innovation.â€
Yan Dazhou said that China’s polysilicon started in 1964, but it has low technology, small scale, high unit consumption, and high production costs. Before 2005, China's annual output of polysilicon was less than 0.5% of the world's total annual production.
Therefore, in 2005, the well-known experts Liang Chunwu, Zhou Lian and Qi Duanlin jointly submitted a proposal to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and they called for: “Breaking the monopoly, government-led, multi-party financing, quickly establish an annual output of thousands Tons of polycrystalline silicon production plants.†Yan Daya said: “The academician’s letter triggered a strong response in the industry and strengthened our determination to take the independent R&D road.â€
In this context, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized the implementation of the 863 research plan and the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan†support plan. At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission organized and implemented the “High-tech Silicon Material High-tech Industrialization Major Projectâ€, focusing on all aspects of polysilicon production. The technical difficulties, the implementation of key problems, made a series of research and industrialization achievements, has a proprietary intellectual property technology system, and won the initiative for the development of polysilicon industrialization.
In 2004, China Silicon Polytechnic Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Luoyang Monocrystalline Silicon Plant and China Nonferrous Metals Design Institute, independently developed 12 pairs of rod-shaped energy-saving polysilicon reduction furnaces. Based on this, in 2005, China’s first 300-ton polysilicon production project Completed and put into production, it opened the prelude to the development of China's polysilicon.
Yan Daya said: “The completion of China’s first industrialization demonstration line has given confidence to industry insiders. On the other hand, it also marks the formation of a polysilicon production technology system that has broken the foreign technology blockade and market monopoly for many years.â€
In addition, in the polysilicon purification technology, China has also made breakthroughs. At present, the world is generally adopting the "improved Siemens process" purification, although the purity is high, but the energy consumption is large, not environmentally friendly. The Gao Wenxiu team of the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences broke new ground and invented the “Physical Law†for purification. On July 16, 2007, some samples were determined by the Japanese authorities and the purity was as high as 5N to 6N (for polysilicon purity of solar cells, requiring far-reaching Above 99.9%: "N" stands for the number of "9" after the decimal point, which must be above 4N.) The power consumption and the water consumption are only 1/3 and 1/10 of the "modified Siemens process".
At present, most of the domestic polysilicon production uses the trichlorosilane process. This high energy-consuming process is difficult to handle because of the inability to recover all the silicon tetrachloride, and the environmental pollution is serious. In 2008, China Silicon Hi-Tech Co., Ltd. undertook the key technology research of the national "863" key scientific and technological project - the key technology for the utilization of polysilicon by-products. Through independent research and development, the company successfully completed the research of low-temperature pressurized hydrogenation technology. Yan Daya said: “At present, the project has been operating on 1,000t/a and 2000t/a polysilicon projects. After several cycles of silicon tetrachloride, almost all recycling can be realized.â€
The Tianli Yingli Six-nine silicon industry now uses the new silane production polysilicon process that consumes less power, lowers production costs by 24% compared to the industry, and increases production by 30% year-on-year. By-products are non-polluting and can be sold and reused.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said that for crystalline silicon solar cells that currently account for 90% of the photovoltaic market, the improvement of conversion efficiency and the thinning of silicon wafers are the main ways to reduce costs.
According to Yao Wei, Director of Public Relations Department of LDK Solar, the company's thinnest wafer is about 160m, which has reached the world's leading level of industrialization.
In 2007, China became the country that produced the most solar cells
The severe shortage of crystalline silicon has caused many solar cell production equipment to stop production; the rising price of crystalline silicon has eroded the profits of solar cell manufacturers. Therefore, looking for crystalline silicon or reducing dependence on crystalline silicon becomes a solar cell company has to face the choice. Amorphous silicon thin film solar cells jumped into people's eyes and gained a rare opportunity for development.
Wang Zhanguo said that instead of using silicon wafers, thin-film batteries deposit thin-film semiconductor active layers on inexpensive substrates such as glass, which is expected to drastically reduce material consumption and cost. He appealed that countries should pay more attention to the research of thin film solar cells.
The most common thin-film batteries are amorphous silicon solar cells. Compared with common solar cells, amorphous silicon solar cells have low cost, low energy consumption, no pollution and low light, and are only one-hundredth of the thickness of the former. They are more suitable for constructing wall-type solar power systems in conjunction with the external walls of buildings. The system can also be applied to portable electronic devices.
Research on non-polycrystalline silicon solar cells in China has also taken a tortuous path. As early as 1975, Nankai University began research on amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells. In the 1980s, China imported a 1 MW amorphous silicon solar cell production line from the American company, which was more successful in industrialization. However, as of the end of 2003, China's amorphous silicon solar cells still have only one production line.
However, there are still manufacturers in the field of amorphous silicon solar cells, and achieved certain results. During the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the solar water heater system of the Olympic Village used amorphous silicon solar cell technology developed by Beijing Walker Group. This solar water heater can provide bathing hot water for more than 16,800 athletes; after the Olympics, it can meet the domestic hot water demand of about 1,868 households and can save 10 million kwh per year.
Ma Yi, president of the Travelers Group, said: "The amorphous silicon solar thin-film batteries with full independent intellectual property rights are used mainly by tempered glass as raw materials for production, with high sensitivity and full spectrum absorption. Even weak moonlight can generate electricity as usual."
In recent years, amorphous silicon solar cells have achieved significant development. Data show that in 2007 the global production of thin-film solar cells increased from 181 MW in 2006 to 400 MW in 2007. In China, the growth rate of the industry in 2007 is about 120%, and the average annual growth rate in the next three years is expected to be as high as 100%.
On August 29th, Shi Dinghuan, the counselor of the State Council and chairman of the China Renewable Energy Society, stated at the 4th Green Wealth (China) Forum that although China has become the world’s largest producer of solar cells since 2007, it’s not related to foreign countries. Little difference. Moreover, in the development of various new types of solar cells, we are still in the initial stage, and foreign countries have made great progress. Therefore, the development of solar cells in China is a long way to go.
Such rational thinking is exactly what is needed at this time. At present, the world is undergoing an unprecedented energy revolution. Solar energy is one of the brightest pearls in the world, and it is as ironic as a ferocious person. Now the world is moving from scratch. China’s solar cell industry is slowly shaking off its body of foam, and it has become more solid and firm. Step forward, stride forward. As the end of “Country of Monte Cristo†stated: “All human wisdom is contained in these two words: waiting and hope.â€
Memorabilia
In 1999, Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy Co., Ltd. undertook the “Polysilicon Solar Cell and Application System Demonstration Project†project approved by the former State Planning Commission. The project was formally approved by the state on December 19, 2003, and was put into operation across the country, filling China's territory. It is impossible to commercialize the blanks of polysilicon solar cells.
In September 2002, Wuxi Suntech's first 10 megawatt solar cell production line was formally put into operation. The production capacity was equivalent to the sum of the national solar cell output in the previous four years. The gap between China and the international photovoltaic industry was shortened by 15 years.
On January 19, 2004, China's first 12 pairs of rods, polysilicon, high-efficiency, energy-saving, large-scale reduction furnaces were successfully tested in China Silicon Hi-Tech, and all technical indicators have reached the international advanced level. At this point, the Chinese have mastered the polysilicon production core technology monopolized by the United States, Japan, Germany and other countries for more than 20 years.
In 2005, China's first 300-ton polysilicon production project was completed and put into production in Luoyang, which opened the prelude to the development of polysilicon in China.
On December 14, 2005, Suntech was listed on the New York Stock Exchange of the United States and became the first private high-tech enterprise listed on the New York Stock Exchange in Mainland China.
In 2007, Suntech's total production capacity will exceed 500 MW, its output will exceed 300 MW, and its sales revenue will exceed RMB 10 billion, ranking second in the world's photovoltaic industry.
On March 31, 2007, the National 863 research project undertaken by China Silicon Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.—24 pairs of stick-saving energy-saving polysilicon reducing furnace complete sets of equipment was approved by experts organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
On July 16, 2007, the physical purification method independently developed by the Gao Wenxiu team of the Shanghai Institute of Technology and Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences produced more than 99.9999% pure solar cell silicon products. The power consumption and water consumption were only 1/3 of the “modified Siemens processâ€, respectively. And 1/10.
In August 2008, LDK Solar officially announced to the world that its actual production capacity of solar polysilicon wafers reached 1,000 megawatts, making it the only company in the world to enter the “G-wa Club†of the solar photovoltaic industry.
On March 30, 2009, Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. successfully applied Pluto's technology to its Pluto battery production line. The conversion rates of its monocrystalline and polycrystalline photovoltaic cells were approximately 19% and 17%, respectively.
Extended Reading: Future Solar Cells
Academician Junjun Hao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences once stated that in addition to monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon solar cells, the third generation of solar cells are new concepts, new structures of batteries, such as dye-sensitized batteries, organic thin-film batteries, nano-structured batteries, etc. These batteries will enter the market one after another in the next 10 years based on their stability, efficiency and cost.
Chinese scientists have also been conducting research and development of new solar cells and achieved certain results. In 2004, the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieved a certain breakthrough in the area of ​​dye-sensitized nano-film solar cells. The cost was only 1/10 of that of silicon solar cells, and the process was simpler, the performance was more stable, and it was built. The world's first 500W dye-sensitized solar cell demonstration system that is truly used for power generation.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said that high-efficiency, low-cost organic/inorganic composite nano-semiconductor flexible solar cells are currently one of the hottest research and development frontiers in the world. The flexible amorphous silicon thin-film solar cell using a micro stainless steel belt as a substrate has many advantages such as light weight, impact resistance, flexibility, easy installation, and wide application field.
It is reported that in May 2009, Tianjin Jinneng Investment Co., Ltd. and U.S. United Solar Energy Co., Ltd. signed a contract to invest in the construction of a flexible amorphous silicon thin-film solar cell project with an annual output of 25 megawatts.
Looking into the future of solar cells, Academician Wang Zhanguo said: “The thin film, high conversion efficiency, abundant raw materials, non-toxicity and low cost are the ideal third-generation solar photovoltaic cells. This is the highest goal pursued by people.â€
According to statistics, from 2002 to the present, China's solar cell production surged 77 times. In 2008, China's solar cell output accounted for about one-third of the world's total output. It has become the world's largest solar cell producer for two consecutive years.
In 1839 the French physicist Becquerel first discovered the photovoltaic effect; in 1954 the United States Bell Laboratory made the first monocrystalline silicon solar cell; in 1983 the United States established the largest solar power plant in the world at the time... Humans never had Stop chasing the sun.
1969 Developed silicon solar battery pack
In 1958, China developed the first silicon single crystal
Wang Zanuo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “The United States pulled out its first silicon single crystal around 1957, and China’s first silicon single crystal was also developed in 1958. Subsequently, the newly established semiconductor research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially started. Research and develop solar cells."
Initially, the battery developed was mainly used in the space field. From 1958 to 1965, the efficiency of the PN junction cells developed by semiconductors has increased by leaps and bounds, and the efficiency of 10×20mm cells has stabilized at 15%, which is not much different from the international level.
From 1968 to the end of 1969, Semiconductors assumed the task of developing and producing silicon solar panels for the "Practical Satellite No. 1". In the study, the researchers found that P+/N silicon monolithic solar cells encounter electron radiation when operating in space, causing the battery to attenuate, making the battery unable to operate in space for a long time.
As a result, the 6-member team including Wang Zhanguo began to research the radiation effect of silicon solar cells for artificial satellites. During the experimental process, due to the immature technology and backward equipment, Wang Zongguo’s right hand suffered severe electron burns. Since then, he has been suffering. Only until the summer of 1978 did skin surgery be relieved. The reporter noticed that there are some black folds on the back of the right hand of Academician Wang Zhanguo. This is the mark of the old scientists’ dedication to science.
After hard work, the experimental results brought great surprises to researchers. Academician Wang Zhanguo introduced that the ability of NP-junction silicon solar cells to resist electron irradiation is dozens of times larger than that of PN-junction silicon cells! Subsequently, the semiconductor company made a decision to change the silicon PN battery to NP and put it into production. It produced 5,690 NP-junction silicon solar cells, of which 3,350 finished products had been used for space applications and successfully completed the "Practice 1" satellite. Solar panel development and production tasks. In 1971, Practice No. 1 was launched and lifted. During the eight-year life span, the solar battery power dropped by less than 15%. The project won a major achievement award at the National Science Conference in 1978.
In 1969, the semiconductor industry stopped the development of silicon solar cells. Subsequently, Tianjin 18 developed and produced solar arrays for the Dongfenghong No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 series geosynchronous orbit satellites.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said: “At the end of the 1970s, China and the international community conducted a research on a gallium arsenide solar cell. The cell has a high light emission and light absorption coefficient. In 1999, the conversion efficiency of a 2×2 cm2 cell reached 22%.â€
In 1975, Ningbo and Kaifeng successively set up a solar cell factory. The cell manufacturing process mimics the earlier process of producing space cells, and the application of solar cells begins to fall from space to the ground.
Since the 1980s, China's solar cells have entered an embryonic stage, and research and development work has begun in various places, but progress has been slow.
Cui Rongqiang said that in 1986, the State Development Planning Commission listed the topic of “solar batteries†in the “Seventh Five-year Plan for Rural Energy†(1986-1990). Six universities and six research institutes nationwide began to implement crystalline silicon batteries, etc. Research.
In the late 1980s, China has introduced a number of solar cell production lines, including a 1MW (megawatt) production line imported from Canada by the Yunnan Semiconductor Factory. This has enabled the production capacity of Chinese solar cells to be reduced from the original hundreds of KW (kilowatts). Raised to 4.5MW, this production capacity continued until 2002, and the output was only about 2MW.
"The end of the 1990s was the steady development period of China's solar cells. After introduction, digestion, absorption, and re-innovation, the solar cell production technology and process have been steadily developed and improved, and the production volume has steadily increased, basically meeting the needs of the domestic market and having A small amount of exports." Cui Rongqiang said.
In 1998, the Chinese government began to pay attention to solar power, plans to build the first 3MW polysilicon battery and application system demonstration project, this news so that the current chairman of Tianwei Yingli New Energy Co., Ltd. Miao Liansheng saw a glimmer of dawn. However, at the time, the prospects for the development of the solar energy industry were not yet clear. Constrained by policy factors, many people had been deterred from this new energy project. Under the circumstances of the partner's withdrawal, Miao Liansheng resolutely bucked the trend and won the approval of this project, becoming the first person in the Chinese solar energy industry to "eat crabs."
In 2001, Suntech established a 10MWp (megawatt) solar cell production line. In September 2002, Suntech's first 10MW solar cell production line was formally put into production. The production capacity was equivalent to the sum of the previous four national solar cell productions in one stroke. The gap in the international photovoltaic industry has been shortened by 15 years.
On December 14th, 2005, Suntech Solar Power Co., Ltd. was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Suntech’s “First Rich Effect†brought about by its unparalleled development and launched the accelerator of the Chinese solar energy industry, the production and research and development of domestic solar cells. Also entered the fast lane.
Tianwei Yingli company related person in charge, December 19, 2003, the company's project formally passed the national acceptance, all put into production, to fill the gap in China can not commercial production of polycrystalline silicon solar cells.
From 2003 to 2005, under the spur of the European market, especially the German market, Suntech and Baoding Yingli continued to expand their production. Many Other companies have established solar cell production lines to rapidly increase the production of solar cells in China. At present, China's solar cell output accounts for the world 30% of total production.
Academician Wang Zhanguo pointed out: "In recent years, China has made some breakthroughs in the research and development of solar cell-related technologies. However, there may be some gaps compared with foreign countries, mainly in terms of technological level, industry, and market development. For example, several typical suns. The best laboratory efficiency of batteries is lower than that of foreign countries. The laboratory efficiencies of monocrystalline silicon and polysilicon in China are 19.8% and 16.5%, respectively, while those in foreign countries are 24.8% and 19.8%, respectively."
Moreover, Academician Wang Zhanguo stated that many of the equipment used in solar cell manufacturing in China are imported from abroad and consume large amounts of capital. Therefore, we should increase the R&D and manufacturing of equipment to reduce costs.
Solar street light installed beside Beijing subway station
In 2005, China opened the prelude to the development of polysilicon
Polysilicon is the "lifeblood" of the entire solar cell industry. The shortage of polysilicon raw materials has kept the cost of solar cells high, severely restricting the development of the solar cell industry and the market.
In addition, the advanced production technology of polysilicon raw materials has been basically in the hands of several major producers such as the United States, Japan, and Germany. For various reasons (suppliers' doubts about the ability of the photovoltaic industry to maintain stable demand, the need for technology and market monopolization, and the lags behind expansion of production), none of these companies announced the establishment of a factory in China, let alone technology transfer.
Yan Dazhou, deputy chief engineer of Luoyang China Silicon High-tech Co., Ltd., said: “The domestic photovoltaic companies must get rid of the situation that is controlled by people and must 'work hard to internal strength', take the road of independent research and development, and increase technological innovation.â€
Yan Dazhou said that China’s polysilicon started in 1964, but it has low technology, small scale, high unit consumption, and high production costs. Before 2005, China's annual output of polysilicon was less than 0.5% of the world's total annual production.
Therefore, in 2005, the well-known experts Liang Chunwu, Zhou Lian and Qi Duanlin jointly submitted a proposal to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and they called for: “Breaking the monopoly, government-led, multi-party financing, quickly establish an annual output of thousands Tons of polycrystalline silicon production plants.†Yan Daya said: “The academician’s letter triggered a strong response in the industry and strengthened our determination to take the independent R&D road.â€
In this context, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized the implementation of the 863 research plan and the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan†support plan. At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission organized and implemented the “High-tech Silicon Material High-tech Industrialization Major Projectâ€, focusing on all aspects of polysilicon production. The technical difficulties, the implementation of key problems, made a series of research and industrialization achievements, has a proprietary intellectual property technology system, and won the initiative for the development of polysilicon industrialization.
In 2004, China Silicon Polytechnic Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Luoyang Monocrystalline Silicon Plant and China Nonferrous Metals Design Institute, independently developed 12 pairs of rod-shaped energy-saving polysilicon reduction furnaces. Based on this, in 2005, China’s first 300-ton polysilicon production project Completed and put into production, it opened the prelude to the development of China's polysilicon.
Yan Daya said: “The completion of China’s first industrialization demonstration line has given confidence to industry insiders. On the other hand, it also marks the formation of a polysilicon production technology system that has broken the foreign technology blockade and market monopoly for many years.â€
In addition, in the polysilicon purification technology, China has also made breakthroughs. At present, the world is generally adopting the "improved Siemens process" purification, although the purity is high, but the energy consumption is large, not environmentally friendly. The Gao Wenxiu team of the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences broke new ground and invented the “Physical Law†for purification. On July 16, 2007, some samples were determined by the Japanese authorities and the purity was as high as 5N to 6N (for polysilicon purity of solar cells, requiring far-reaching Above 99.9%: "N" stands for the number of "9" after the decimal point, which must be above 4N.) The power consumption and the water consumption are only 1/3 and 1/10 of the "modified Siemens process".
At present, most of the domestic polysilicon production uses the trichlorosilane process. This high energy-consuming process is difficult to handle because of the inability to recover all the silicon tetrachloride, and the environmental pollution is serious. In 2008, China Silicon Hi-Tech Co., Ltd. undertook the key technology research of the national "863" key scientific and technological project - the key technology for the utilization of polysilicon by-products. Through independent research and development, the company successfully completed the research of low-temperature pressurized hydrogenation technology. Yan Daya said: “At present, the project has been operating on 1,000t/a and 2000t/a polysilicon projects. After several cycles of silicon tetrachloride, almost all recycling can be realized.â€
The Tianli Yingli Six-nine silicon industry now uses the new silane production polysilicon process that consumes less power, lowers production costs by 24% compared to the industry, and increases production by 30% year-on-year. By-products are non-polluting and can be sold and reused.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said that for crystalline silicon solar cells that currently account for 90% of the photovoltaic market, the improvement of conversion efficiency and the thinning of silicon wafers are the main ways to reduce costs.
According to Yao Wei, Director of Public Relations Department of LDK Solar, the company's thinnest wafer is about 160m, which has reached the world's leading level of industrialization.
In 2007, China became the country that produced the most solar cells
The severe shortage of crystalline silicon has caused many solar cell production equipment to stop production; the rising price of crystalline silicon has eroded the profits of solar cell manufacturers. Therefore, looking for crystalline silicon or reducing dependence on crystalline silicon becomes a solar cell company has to face the choice. Amorphous silicon thin film solar cells jumped into people's eyes and gained a rare opportunity for development.
Wang Zhanguo said that instead of using silicon wafers, thin-film batteries deposit thin-film semiconductor active layers on inexpensive substrates such as glass, which is expected to drastically reduce material consumption and cost. He appealed that countries should pay more attention to the research of thin film solar cells.
The most common thin-film batteries are amorphous silicon solar cells. Compared with common solar cells, amorphous silicon solar cells have low cost, low energy consumption, no pollution and low light, and are only one-hundredth of the thickness of the former. They are more suitable for constructing wall-type solar power systems in conjunction with the external walls of buildings. The system can also be applied to portable electronic devices.
Research on non-polycrystalline silicon solar cells in China has also taken a tortuous path. As early as 1975, Nankai University began research on amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells. In the 1980s, China imported a 1 MW amorphous silicon solar cell production line from the American company, which was more successful in industrialization. However, as of the end of 2003, China's amorphous silicon solar cells still have only one production line.
However, there are still manufacturers in the field of amorphous silicon solar cells, and achieved certain results. During the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the solar water heater system of the Olympic Village used amorphous silicon solar cell technology developed by Beijing Walker Group. This solar water heater can provide bathing hot water for more than 16,800 athletes; after the Olympics, it can meet the domestic hot water demand of about 1,868 households and can save 10 million kwh per year.
Ma Yi, president of the Travelers Group, said: "The amorphous silicon solar thin-film batteries with full independent intellectual property rights are used mainly by tempered glass as raw materials for production, with high sensitivity and full spectrum absorption. Even weak moonlight can generate electricity as usual."
In recent years, amorphous silicon solar cells have achieved significant development. Data show that in 2007 the global production of thin-film solar cells increased from 181 MW in 2006 to 400 MW in 2007. In China, the growth rate of the industry in 2007 is about 120%, and the average annual growth rate in the next three years is expected to be as high as 100%.
On August 29th, Shi Dinghuan, the counselor of the State Council and chairman of the China Renewable Energy Society, stated at the 4th Green Wealth (China) Forum that although China has become the world’s largest producer of solar cells since 2007, it’s not related to foreign countries. Little difference. Moreover, in the development of various new types of solar cells, we are still in the initial stage, and foreign countries have made great progress. Therefore, the development of solar cells in China is a long way to go.
Such rational thinking is exactly what is needed at this time. At present, the world is undergoing an unprecedented energy revolution. Solar energy is one of the brightest pearls in the world, and it is as ironic as a ferocious person. Now the world is moving from scratch. China’s solar cell industry is slowly shaking off its body of foam, and it has become more solid and firm. Step forward, stride forward. As the end of “Country of Monte Cristo†stated: “All human wisdom is contained in these two words: waiting and hope.â€
Memorabilia
In 1999, Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy Co., Ltd. undertook the “Polysilicon Solar Cell and Application System Demonstration Project†project approved by the former State Planning Commission. The project was formally approved by the state on December 19, 2003, and was put into operation across the country, filling China's territory. It is impossible to commercialize the blanks of polysilicon solar cells.
In September 2002, Wuxi Suntech's first 10 megawatt solar cell production line was formally put into operation. The production capacity was equivalent to the sum of the national solar cell output in the previous four years. The gap between China and the international photovoltaic industry was shortened by 15 years.
On January 19, 2004, China's first 12 pairs of rods, polysilicon, high-efficiency, energy-saving, large-scale reduction furnaces were successfully tested in China Silicon Hi-Tech, and all technical indicators have reached the international advanced level. At this point, the Chinese have mastered the polysilicon production core technology monopolized by the United States, Japan, Germany and other countries for more than 20 years.
In 2005, China's first 300-ton polysilicon production project was completed and put into production in Luoyang, which opened the prelude to the development of polysilicon in China.
On December 14, 2005, Suntech was listed on the New York Stock Exchange of the United States and became the first private high-tech enterprise listed on the New York Stock Exchange in Mainland China.
In 2007, Suntech's total production capacity will exceed 500 MW, its output will exceed 300 MW, and its sales revenue will exceed RMB 10 billion, ranking second in the world's photovoltaic industry.
On March 31, 2007, the National 863 research project undertaken by China Silicon Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.—24 pairs of stick-saving energy-saving polysilicon reducing furnace complete sets of equipment was approved by experts organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
On July 16, 2007, the physical purification method independently developed by the Gao Wenxiu team of the Shanghai Institute of Technology and Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences produced more than 99.9999% pure solar cell silicon products. The power consumption and water consumption were only 1/3 of the “modified Siemens processâ€, respectively. And 1/10.
In August 2008, LDK Solar officially announced to the world that its actual production capacity of solar polysilicon wafers reached 1,000 megawatts, making it the only company in the world to enter the “G-wa Club†of the solar photovoltaic industry.
On March 30, 2009, Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. successfully applied Pluto's technology to its Pluto battery production line. The conversion rates of its monocrystalline and polycrystalline photovoltaic cells were approximately 19% and 17%, respectively.
Extended Reading: Future Solar Cells
Academician Junjun Hao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences once stated that in addition to monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon solar cells, the third generation of solar cells are new concepts, new structures of batteries, such as dye-sensitized batteries, organic thin-film batteries, nano-structured batteries, etc. These batteries will enter the market one after another in the next 10 years based on their stability, efficiency and cost.
Chinese scientists have also been conducting research and development of new solar cells and achieved certain results. In 2004, the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieved a certain breakthrough in the area of ​​dye-sensitized nano-film solar cells. The cost was only 1/10 of that of silicon solar cells, and the process was simpler, the performance was more stable, and it was built. The world's first 500W dye-sensitized solar cell demonstration system that is truly used for power generation.
Academician Wang Zhanguo said that high-efficiency, low-cost organic/inorganic composite nano-semiconductor flexible solar cells are currently one of the hottest research and development frontiers in the world. The flexible amorphous silicon thin-film solar cell using a micro stainless steel belt as a substrate has many advantages such as light weight, impact resistance, flexibility, easy installation, and wide application field.
It is reported that in May 2009, Tianjin Jinneng Investment Co., Ltd. and U.S. United Solar Energy Co., Ltd. signed a contract to invest in the construction of a flexible amorphous silicon thin-film solar cell project with an annual output of 25 megawatts.
Looking into the future of solar cells, Academician Wang Zhanguo said: “The thin film, high conversion efficiency, abundant raw materials, non-toxicity and low cost are the ideal third-generation solar photovoltaic cells. This is the highest goal pursued by people.â€
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