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Samsung Electronics has taken its first step towards the mass-production of its solar cells with the launch of a pilot production line for solar cells in Giheung early this month.
The Korean company held a ceremony yesterday to mark the opening of its R&D and testing facility for crystalline silicon solar cells. With the launch of the solar cell line, Samsung seeks to further raise its solar cell conversion efficiency for mass production, with a goal to top the solar cell market in 2015.
A Samsung spokesperson said the company will decide when to mass produce its solar cells after running the pilot line.
"We have achieved one of the industry's leading solar cell conversion rates," the spokesperson said. He did not give a specific figure, but said its conversion rate is between 15 percent and 20 percent.
A solar cell's energy conversion efficiency refers to the percentage of power converted from absorbed sunlight to electrical energy, and is key to reducing manufacturing costs for solar cell modules, Samsung said.
Samsung, the world's top maker of memory chips and flat-screen panels, seeks to leverage its manufacturing technologies to raise cost efficiency in solar cell production.
Samsung also said it sourced 85 percent of the equipment used in its pilot line from domestic firms, which will help reduce its production costs.
Samsung also said it has also carried out R&D on thin-film solar cells, which are cheaper to make and lighter than conventional silicon-based cells, and can be attached to surface such as windows, walls and roofs.
Most solar cells are currently made of crystalline silicon. Crystalline silicon solar cells have higher conversion rates and more reliable than thin-film solar cells. But the expensive costs and supply shortage of their materials have led the industry to turn to thin-film solar cells.
Samsung, which faces slowing growth from its traditional chip and flat-panel businesses, seeks to create new income sources by entering the solar cell business. The global solar cell manufacturing capacity is expected to grow to 10.5 gigawatts in 2012, from 5.1 gigawatts this year, Samsung said, citing data from Market research firm Green Tech Media Samsung's hometown rival LG Display also said in June that it planned to invest 50 billion won to build a pilot production line for thin-film solar cells this year, aiming to start mass production of thin-film solar cells by 2012.
Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSI...0909150023.asp
The Korean company held a ceremony yesterday to mark the opening of its R&D and testing facility for crystalline silicon solar cells. With the launch of the solar cell line, Samsung seeks to further raise its solar cell conversion efficiency for mass production, with a goal to top the solar cell market in 2015.
A Samsung spokesperson said the company will decide when to mass produce its solar cells after running the pilot line.
"We have achieved one of the industry's leading solar cell conversion rates," the spokesperson said. He did not give a specific figure, but said its conversion rate is between 15 percent and 20 percent.
A solar cell's energy conversion efficiency refers to the percentage of power converted from absorbed sunlight to electrical energy, and is key to reducing manufacturing costs for solar cell modules, Samsung said.
Samsung, the world's top maker of memory chips and flat-screen panels, seeks to leverage its manufacturing technologies to raise cost efficiency in solar cell production.
Samsung also said it sourced 85 percent of the equipment used in its pilot line from domestic firms, which will help reduce its production costs.
Samsung also said it has also carried out R&D on thin-film solar cells, which are cheaper to make and lighter than conventional silicon-based cells, and can be attached to surface such as windows, walls and roofs.
Most solar cells are currently made of crystalline silicon. Crystalline silicon solar cells have higher conversion rates and more reliable than thin-film solar cells. But the expensive costs and supply shortage of their materials have led the industry to turn to thin-film solar cells.
Samsung, which faces slowing growth from its traditional chip and flat-panel businesses, seeks to create new income sources by entering the solar cell business. The global solar cell manufacturing capacity is expected to grow to 10.5 gigawatts in 2012, from 5.1 gigawatts this year, Samsung said, citing data from Market research firm Green Tech Media Samsung's hometown rival LG Display also said in June that it planned to invest 50 billion won to build a pilot production line for thin-film solar cells this year, aiming to start mass production of thin-film solar cells by 2012.
Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSI...0909150023.asp