Game changer: Violet Power to supply 50-year solar panel guarantee with US-made IBC innovation

• Coming out of stealth-mode, US-based integrated PV panel production startup, Violet Power intends to interfere with the PV industry with internal manufacturing of high-efficiency IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) solar cells. The company will certainly use cell-to-module 'flex circuit' as well as thermal plastic encapsulant innovation in a glass/glass setup that will have a solar panel guarantee of 50 years, greater than three times the standard in the market, today.

US-headquartered SunPower, which manufacturers its high-efficiency IBC solar cells in Asia (Philippines and also Malaysia), currently supplies a 30-year warranty on its Maxeon Series panels, the highest in the market.

Charlie Gay, PV market technology veteran (more than 45 years), that has actually recently ended up being the brand-new CEO of Violet Power, claimed, "There are presently no vertically-integrated U.S. PV panel producers to satisfy the growing worldwide need for solar power. This absence of making capability within the United States leads to billions of dollars in lost chance including jobs, incomes, as well as earnings for American workers and federal government at the neighborhood, state, and also government level. On top of that, there are major concerns over supply chain self-direction and electric grid safety, which can be ideal addressed with control of the entire worth chain. Violet Power's manufacturing design addresses every one of these issues, as well as extra."

PV Tech chatted to Charlie Gay regarding just how the startup intended to disrupt the PV manufacturing industry with solar panel modern technology that could economically justify providing a 50-year guarantee.

The core of the solar cell innovation originates from a partnership with German-based R&D centre, ISC Konstanz and also its head, Radovan Kopecek as well as his team. The 'ZEBRA' IBC cell, which was developed as a low-priced IBC cell design using front floating emitter (FFE) as well as screen-printed and also fired-through metallization made on large-area 152.4 mm n-type monocrystalline wafers has been better created at Violet Power to consist of a 'flex circuit' (aluminium) backside cell to module get in touch with innovation paired to thermal plastic encapsulant modern technology in a glass/glass arrangement. Zebra IBC cell has been reported to have 24% plus conversion performances.

The results are claimed to provide enhanced cell-to-module losses, minimized life time degradation and greater resistance to moisture access that was at the heart of capacity to use game-changing panel dependability that transfers to the most affordable Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). Several of these modern technologies were established under numerous U.S. Department of Energy sponsored R&D programs, according to Gay.

Asked just how the firm would certainly back-up the game-changing guarantee insurance claims, Gay validated that it would certainly have the IBC panels undergo PV Evolution Labs' (PVEL) Product Qualification Programme (PQP). The PQP is a comprehensive, strenuous examination routine that examines reliability and performance of PV modules as well as popular for its yearly 'PV Module Reliability Scorecard' report that is the standard for module reliability screening.

" What Violet Power is doing is separating on quality," noted Gay.

Nonetheless, the business will additionally be setting apart on carbon impact with hydro-electric power for all manufacturing procedures from polysilicon, wafering as well as cell as well as module production. The wafering procedures will certainly be in partnership with a Northern European wafer manufacturer with straight connections with REC Silicon.

US Manufacturing

Violet Power's initial advanced incorporated manufacturing center will certainly be based in Moses Lake, WA, across the road from REC Silicon's high pureness polysilicon plant and close to a number of Guardian Glass manufacturing plants in the state, according to Gay.

Initially, the start-up is aiming for 300MW of ZEBRA-based IBC cell and module production as the line size is the most inexpensive, according to CEO, Gay. Nevertheless, first plans are for 500MW of cell and also module manufacturing by the end of 2021 that will produce around 500 jobs. The business intends 1GW of incorporated manufacturing, soon after.

Desari Strader, Violet Energy's President as well as Founder, claimed, "Violet Power is poised to re-establish first-rate solar production leadership right here in the United States where the technology was first birthed. We are deeply grateful to the State of Washington and the U.S. Department of Commerce for their management as well as assistance and also concentrate on American manufacturing, which was important in making Moses Lake the optimal location for our residence."

" Washington state is a leader in the international clean energy future and also the addition of Violet Power's manufacturing of solar cells as well as modules adds to our vivid clean tech sector," stated Gov. Jay Inslee. "Violet Power will certainly improve our state's excellent custom of renewable resource manufacturing, as well as I am pleased they are committed to supporting the ongoing development of a full solar production supply chain with REC Silicon and others. These efforts will be vital to growing 21st century green jobs in Washington."

Charlie Gay also verified that Violet Power had been the concealed scheduled consumer of Swiss-based solar equipment vendor, Meyer Burger back in July, 2019 having placed a CHF 100 million (US$ 101 million) preliminary order for the equipment distributors core Heterojunction (HJT) devices.

However, Meyer Burger introduced in June 2020 that it intended to come to be a devoted maker of HJT photovoltaic panels in Europe and also the United States and exclusively use its innovation in-house, abandoning its PV tools supplier as well as JV service designs.