Recent progress in the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Project (PVMaT)

Abstract

The Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) Project was initiated in 1990 to help the U.S. photovoltaic (PV) industry extend its world leadership role in manufacturing and commercially developing PV modules and systems. It is being conducted in several phases, staggered to support industry progress. The four most recently awarded subcontracts (Phase 2B) are now completing their first year of research. They include two subcontracts in CdTe, one on Spheral Solarm Cells, and one on cast polysilicon. These subcontracts represent new technology additions to the PVMaT Project. Subcontracts initiated in earlier phases are nearing completion, and their progress is summarized. An additional phase of PVMaT, Phase 4A, is being initiated which will emphasize productdriven manufacturing research and development. The intention of Phase 4A is to emphasize improvement and cost reduction in the manufacture of full-system PV products. The work areas may include, but not limited to, issues such as improvement of module manufacturing processes; system and system component packaging, integration, manufacturing, and assembly; product manufacturing flexibility; and balance-of-system development with the goal of product manufacturing improvements .

The Future of Amorphous Silicon Photovoltaic Technology

“…Advanced Photovoltaic Systems has also demonstrated significant cost reductions by reduced processing time. 15 The emerging a-Si PV industry has achieved a momentum in terms of production and market share both in the United States and worldwide. In 1982, Sanyo established the first MW/year-capacity production plant.…”

PVMaT 1998 overview

“…Subcontracted research under these partnerships are based on competitive government procurements. They are focused on: 1) process-specific research and development (R&D) on industry-selected manufacturing technology developments, 2) teamed R&D on industryidentified common problem areas, and 3) improvements in balance-of-system performance integration and manufacturing, as detailed in previous papers [1][2][3][4][5][6]. All work in the PVMaT project is managed by a Technical Monitoring Team consisting of engineers and scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).…”

Progress update on the US Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology project

“…Initial results [3] represented both the diverse status of a still-maturing industry and the optimistic speculation of its members regarding the effects that the PVMaT project would have after their research efforts were incorporated. Each year, the data have been updated based on information from the PV industrial participants.…”

“…As previously described [1][2][3][4][5], the PVMaT project is a government/industry R&D partnership between the U.S. federal government (through the U.S. Department of Energy [DOE]) and members of the U.S. PV industry. PVMaT is designed to accomplish its purpose by helping industry improve manufacturing processes, accelerate manufacturing cost reductions for PV modules, improve commercial product performance, and lay the groundwork for a substantial scale-up in the capacity of U.S.-based PV manufacturing plants.…”

“…These are Phase 1, Phase 2A, Phase 2B, Phase 3A, Phase 4A, and Phase 5A. A description of the focus and accomplishments for phases 1, 2A, 3A, and 2B have been detailed in previous papers [1][2][3]. The 13 subcontracts awarded under Phase 4A, Product-Driven Manufacturing, are now completing their second year of research.…”