How Low (& How Green) Can Solar Cells Go? The Magic Word Is Kerfless
The silicon wafer NexWafe says buh-bye kerf, hello low-cost, lightweight, flexible solar cells.The economic case for fossil energy is teetering on the edge of collapse, and the German company NexWafe GmbH is about to give it one final shove into the abyss. NexWafe is building a new factory that will send new low-cost silicon wafers flying into the solar cell market. To gild the green lily, part of the cost savings involves kerf, a funny word for the serious problem of materials waste.
The Bitterfeld project is the latest step in a long R&D journey. NexWafe spun out of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE back in 2015 with an assist from Franhofer Venture. The startup was tasked with deploying a new, zero-kerf production method developed by the research team of Stefan Rebar over the previous 15 years.
“Stefan Reber and his team of 30 people have developed different generations of deposition reactors, ranging from very flexible batch-type laboratory setups to large multi-chamber in-line systems with the option of continuously depositing p- and n-doped epitaxial layers,” Fraunhofer continued, with p- and n- referring to two different solar cell variations.
That’s good for the planet, and it’s also good for fossil energy stakeholders on the prowl for carbon credits.
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