HHV wins ISA Technovation Award 2011

BANGALORE, INDIA: The Bangalore-based Hind High Vacuum Company Private Limited (HHV) today announced that it has won  the India Semiconductor Association’s coveted Technovation Award in 2011 for  indigenously developing  an automated line for high volume production of 1m by 1m amorphous  silicon  thin film  solar photovoltaic modules.

The capacity of the line is 10 MW per year. The outstanding technical design and novel processes employed in HHV’s system make it much more cost-effective than other such lines available abroad, said a press release

The award was received by Mr Prasanth Sakhamuri, Managing Director of HHV, at the recently held ISA event from Mr M N Vidyashankar, Secretary, IT, Karnataka.

Thin film solar photovoltaic panel production involves very complex technology and HHV is the only company in India which has mastered it, under the guidance of Professor A.K.Barua of the Indian Association of Cultivation of Science (Kolkata), who is a leading light in India in solar photovoltaics.

Steps are now being taken at HHV’s research lab for solar photovoltaics to further bring down the cost of thin film SPV panels   by developing high efficiency next generation tandem cells combining microcrystalline technology and amorphous crystalline technology.

The conversion of sunlight into electricity is one of the most promising renewable energy options for India which receives a high level of sunlight throughout the year over most of its area. There are two commercially prevalent methods used throughout the world for achieving this conversion. One uses thick panels of crystalline material such as crystalline silicon and the other utilizes thin films of material such as amorphous silicon deposited on a substrate.

The advantages of the latter are lower costs due to use of much less material as well as better performance in diffused light environment   such as late afternoon and cloudy skies. Thin film panels can also withstand the higher temperatures of desert environments whereas crystalline material panels almost stop producing electricity at high temperatures.