Development at Dow Corning Could Ease Silicon Shortage

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/home

Dresden, Germany Dow Corning Corporation announced the development of PV 1101 SoG Silicon, the first commercially available metallurgical feedstock produced using large scale manufacturing processes. The announcement was made at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in Dresden, Germany.

<snip>

"Our process is industrial, and that is something that nobody else has been able to do. There's been some lab work publicized, there's some pilot lines out there, but we've got the only industrial facility operating," said Miller.

That could be just what the industry needs. Over the last four years, demand for silicon has far exceeded production capabilities. This year will be the same.

According to "The Gun has Gone Off," a solar market report from Photon Consulting's Michael Rogol, the solar market's 2006 demand is for 5 gigawatts (GW) of power. But because of silicon feedstock constraints, the industry will only be able to produce between 2.2 and 2.4 GW.

<more>

(edit: bold is my edit. Last year the PV industry produced 1.7 GW of modules).

More polysilicon production is in the works too...

Høvik, Norway: REC Breaks Ground on Polysilicon Plant

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAMA72.htm

Bonn, Germany: Construction Starts on Production Plant for Polysilicon in Rheinfelden

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsEUMA122.htm

Digne, France: Consortium Considers Building Polysilicon Plant

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsEUMA121.htm

Tokyo, Japan: JFE Steel to Construct Commercial Scale Polysilicon Plant

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsASMA73.htm

San Jose, CA, USA: SunPower Announces Major Silicon Supply Agreement

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNACO442.htm

Marlboro, MA, USA: Evergreen Solar Signs MOU for Multi-Year Polysilicon Supply

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNACO434.htm

Hemlock, MI, USA: Hemlock Semiconductor Launches Search for New Polysilicon Plant Site

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAMA70.htm

Bonn, Germany: Degussa AG and SolarWorld AG Partner on Solar Grade Silicon Production

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsEUMA112.htm

Bonn, Germany: SolarWorld Completes Recycled Silicon Capacity Expansion

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsEUMA110.htm

[wake.up.america]

Are you saying prices for solar panels will decrease?

I hope so, as I am planning for solar panels.

[jpak]

3. Yes

:)

in edit: Sharp (one of the world leaders in PV module production) recently announced that it's module prices will be cut in half by 2010.

[iamtechus]

5. Pumping stock

Why in the world would a manufacturer let you know that they would be dropping prices?

[skids]

4. The silicon shortage is effectively over already.

New suppliers have already fired up and the price of panels has stabilized. The dow development only really addresses demand going forward if there is a huge expansion of production capacity, however, by the time we "need" that much Si quite likely Si panels will no longer be needed, given the low-si and no-si technologies now scaling up. Really all this article tells us is that there is a chance for Si-based panels to remain competitive with the new technologies.

Eventually panel prices should fall (minus, of course, skyrocketting inflation) but as they are now stable, buying in now is not a bad deal, because they may not fall faster than the worth of the power they generate in the meantime.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. "Silicon shortage"?

I'm not understanding here. Silicon is one of the most common elements on the earth's crust; sand, after all, is silicon dioxide (aka quartz.) If the problem is one of processing, should another "refinery" (or whatever they are called) be sufficient to increase supply?

[jpak]

2. No, it's PV grade polysilicon that's in (global) short supply right now

Historically, the PV industry used rejected electronics-grade polysilicon as feedstock for cell production (PV cells don't require the same high-purity poly-Si as integrated chips for the electronics industry).

The supply of PV-grade poly-Si, however, has not kept up with the skyrocketing demand for PV cells and modules.

This has resulted in a (temporary) spike in PV module prices.

Once these new supply streams come on-line, module prices will continue their historic declines...

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Got it, thanks!

"Silicon shortage" just sounded absurd, like there being a "carbon shortage" or an "iron shortage." :hi: