Chinese company, Advanced Technology & Materials (AT&M), and Odersun AG, a German manufacturer of thin-film solar cells and modules, plan to form a joint venture in Beijing, China, for the production and sales of solar cells and modules based on Odersun's proprietary thin-film technology.
As recent renewable energy support schemes drive significant growth in the photovoltaic sector in China, both companies now join forces to address the fast-growing market by forming this new partnership.
China is trying to catch up in the global race to find alternatives to fossil fuels with offers of government subsidies for utility-scale solar power projects.
According to China Daily "China's bid to boost the solar energy sector could draw more than $10 billion in private funding for projects and put the country on track to become a leading market for solar equipment in the next three years."
More than two thirds of China's land receives over 2,200 hours sunshine annually, that's more than many other regions of similar latitude such as Europe and Japan, which gives China a potential solar energy reserve equivalent to 1,700 billion tons of coal.
AT&M who are also an invester of Odersun are a high-tech enterprise engaged in the development, manufacturing and selling of new technologies and materials. Not only does the company provide products for the energy and electric power sectors but also the aeronautics, astronautics, information, telecommunication, electronics, metallurgical machinery, petrochemical, transportation, biomedicine and environmental protection industries. They will combine their expertise in material science and technologies with Odersun's solar technology and market experience to meet the needs of the Chinese photovoltaic industry.
Odersun solar cells are produced by creation of a Copper-Indium-disulphide semiconductor on long reels of Copper Tape (CISCuT). Being just 1 cm wide and 0.1 mm thick this copper tape is not only used to form the CIS semiconductor but also acts as the substrate and the carrier material for the solar cell. By using their patented "reel-to-reel" production process, the 0.001 mm thin active cell layer is created in only 3 stages.
The completed reels of solar cells are then cut into strips, slightly overlapped and interconnected using conductive glue to form so-called SuperCells. The length of the individual cell strips determines the current that can be drawn, and the number of cells interconnected in series defines the voltage. Odersun modules are composed of one or multiple SuperCells connected in parallel. They can be individually packaged in either a flexible film laminate or a rigid glass-film laminate. In this way the size, power and design of the modules maybe adjusted to the customer's specification.
"We are delighted with this chance to bring highly innovative and flexible solar products based on Odersun's technology to the growing Chinese market," says Dr. Zhao Pei, President of AT&M, "Our joint venture is the result of long-term cooperation and trust between Odersun and AT&M."
The construction of the joint venture's manufacturing facilities in China is expected to start in 2010.
For more attend Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics USA 2009.
